


Shadows in the Sunlight

by Kiera540



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Betrayal, Datekougyou | Date Tech, Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Fukuroudani, Haikyuu - Freeform, Haikyuu mafia, How Do I Tag, Johzenji, Karasuno, Kidnapping, Kuroo Tetsurou - Freeform, M/M, Mafia families, MafiaAU, More ships coming later, Multi, Nekoma, Nohebi, Other, Owl Bokuto Koutarou, Romance, Seijoh - Freeform, iwaoi - Freeform, mafia, no beta we die like daichi, someone make that a tag, why is that not a tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:00:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23341345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiera540/pseuds/Kiera540
Summary: Kuroo poses as the boss of the Nekoma Family to protect Kenma, but who is protecting Kuroo? Bokuto clashes with the abusive former head of the Fukurodani Family as he tries to heal the damage that was done. Iwaizumi wants to protect Oikawa from trauma from the past, and Terushima just wants to know what the hell is going on.In this Haikyuu Mafia AU there’s love, betrayal, drama, terrible puns, action, and all around dumass-ery from most of the teams in the series.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, More Coming Later As the Chapters Come Out
Comments: 22
Kudos: 40





	1. Alliance

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Did I really just write 4000 words broken into 2 chapters in one sitting? Yes I did. This is my first Haikyuu!! story and my first Mafia AU! I’m very excited for this story! Please let me know what you think as it will help me to improve my writing and storytelling. Enjoy!
> 
> Warning - Mild to strong language in some chapters.

The Cat’s Meow. Bokuto wasn’t particularly a fan. From the outside, The Cat’s Meow looked to be like any other club that littered the streets, but the inside, was a different story. There was nothing wrong with the club, as a matter of fact, Bokuto probably would have loved it if he didn’t know the club’s secret. A “secret” is what they called it, but at this point every person on the entire freaking planet had heard the rumors. What saved The Cat’s Meow, was very few people actually had proof that the rumors were true. The police certainly weren’t one of those people.

Bokuto pushed through the throng of people crowding around the outside of the club hoping to get in. The Cat’s Meow, like its name suggested, was quite popular and catered towards a higher clientele. The black and white haired man didn’t bother with the long line that wrapped around the building and instead walked towards its entrance, people in line gave him looks of disbelief that he would even attempt such a feat, others snickered at him peering over their comrades hoping for a full view of his rejection. As he neared the club’s entrance, the bouncers immediately stepped aside to let him pass effortlessly into the club, one of the men speaking quietly into a hidden commlink in his suit jacket. Jaws dropped as Bokuto made his way inside, that was always his favorite part. Some knew who he was and weren’t surprised, others had no idea and he reveled in their confused and jealous faces.

Once fully inside, he made his way over to the bar, getting himself a drink as he waited for his inevitable escort. His eyes roamed the crowd, getting a feel for the crowd tonight, a glass thunked down in front of him at the same time as a new performer walked onto the built in stage. Now Bokuto doubted that this performer was new given by the crowd’s reaction as he waltzed to stand in front of the mic, but Bokuto had never seen this man before. Bokuto eyed the man as he stood before the crowd, waiting for their cheers and roars to settle down. He was dressed in simple black dress pants with a red shirt hosting an intricate black pattern woven across his shoulders, back, and chest. Shades of red and blue painted his pale face as the club lighting shifted to a more sultry shade, completely changing the mood of the previously hectic party environment.

The owl incarnate man hardly payed any attention to the song that the beautiful man started singing and instead payed attention to the movement of his lips, and the sway of his hips, floating around the stage as he captured the attention of every person in the club. Bokuto finally understood the crowds enthusiasm when this man had first appeared, his voice was silky smooth and passion filled as he sang away without a care in the world on stage.

“The Boss will see you now.” Bokuto’s head snapped in the direction of the intruding voice, much too harsh and blunt after being engrossed in the mysterious man onstage. Right, the Boss, he had a job to do here. He downed the rest of his drink in one go and shook his head to get back on track with his mission.

Bokuto was led upstairs to the VIP area of the club, and then escorted into a back room for even more privacy. He glanced around the room, taking in his surroundings, he could still hear the captivating voice outside, but the thick walls of the room muddled it, forcing the voice to lose some of its effect. It was probably for the best, now he could focus on his main goal, in front of him sat the Boss and his grandson; standing behind them, was the personal bodyguard of the said young, pudding haired man.

“You are in the presence of Nekomata-dono of the Nekoma Cats, state your name.”

“I am Bokuto Koutarou-dono of the Fukurodani Owls.” Bokuto puffed out his chest as he spoke, proud of his title. He hadn’t been the boss of the Fukurodani family for very long, but that didn’t mean he didn’t hold a high reputation already.

“Ah, Bokuto, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Nekomata spoke keeping his voice level, he had an idea as to why he was here, but he wanted the younger boss to say it out loud.

“I came personally to propose an offer to you. I believe we can help each other in our current positions.”

“Oh? And what fascinating proposition do you have?”

“I propose an alliance between our families. With Fukurodani’s strength and Nekoma’s tactics we could become an unstoppable force. There would be no one who could oppose us in any trade or scheme.”

“Hmmmm, ‘Fukurodani’s strength’ you say? There’s no denying that Fukurodani is a true powerhouse among the families, but what can you offer us? I have faith in the power and strength Nekoma holds. If ‘strength’ is the only thing you have to offer, then I’m afraid this conversation is over, young boss.” Nekomata wanted to see what this new boss was capable of. Surely he came prepared with a better speech then that. An alliance with the Owls could be very useful, but if this young man wasn’t thinking like a mafia boss then there was no point in forming an alliance at this stage.

“Fukurodani owns the streets. An alliance with us would mean you and your men could move your product easier and completely in secret, no cops, no press, no unwanted eyes. With our strength, we would be able to beef up your defense, protecting not only your products, but important people and clients as well.” Bokuto’s eyes flicked over to the opposing Boss’s son, for an added effect. Bokuto knew that Nekomata was testing him, if he wasn’t interested in what he had to say, then the two of them would never have been in the same room in the first place. He couldn’t tell what exactly the older man was looking for, but he was determined not to disappoint, if this alliance went through, they really would become the strongest family out there.

“A solid proposal. I assume in return, you and Fukurodani would gain access to Nekoma’s famed web of knowledge and the aid of our socially high standing members?”

“That would be what makes this proposal a true alliance, yes.” Ah, so he did know the real reason behind Bokuto’s request. It’s true, Nekoma was a “high class” gang with access to just about anything out there that was digital.

“You’re a smart man to go seeking alliances. Most of the young bosses out there are only interested in domination and power, I commend you for that,” Bokuto had a bad feeling as to where this was headed, but a soft knocking at a hidden side door saved him from the rest of the ominous speech.

“Come in.” Nekomata called to the person on the other side.

“Good evening, Nekomata-dono.” Bokuto’s jaw almost hit the floor as it was ripped open. He had been too distracted by the meeting to notice that the singing had stopped and left a thundering applause in its wake. As his ears adjusted, he realized that the typical club music had now returned, and the stunning singer was now in the room with them.

“Ah, Akaashi-kun, good evening, you sounded great as always.”

“Thank you Nekomata-dono.” The man gave a small bow after the compliment, and Bokuto committed the name to memory for a later date. “That was my last song for the night. I’ll be heading home now.”

“Travel safe, my boy. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Akaashi gave another bow, before offering a small wave to the other two Nekoma members in the room; the bodyguard returned the wave while the grandson gave a subtle nod. Akaashi stole a glance to Bokuto before disappearing out of the door he had entered from.

“Now, where were we? Oh yes, Bokuto-kun, you are a fine boss from what I can tell, but we are not interested in an alliance at this time. Nekoma will remain in its current standing with your family. Perhaps at another date we can try this meeting again.”

“For what reason?! Nekoma and Fukurodani have never had any problems in the past, and together we’d be the most powerful family out there. Why do you refuse this alliance?” Bokuto was understandably angry at this, they couldn’t just blow them off like this!

“Now is not the time, my boy. Go back to your family.” Bokuto had half a mind to smack the man and force him to either align or give an actual reason for the refusal. He knew, however, that if he did that, he’d never make it out of the club alive. He couldn’t do that to his family. Keeping his current neutral standing with Nekoma was more important than smacking an old man just for the hell of it. Typically with meetings like this, you either got the alliance or standings got worse to the point of being hostile. He supposed he should be counting himself lucky that everything would remain as it was before this meeting.

Bokuto shot a glare to show his annoyance, but stomped out of the room anyways. He might have a reputation for being a brute, but he wasn’t an idiot, he knew when to back down. His mind was already made up. He’ll try one more time to make an alliance with Nekoma, and if they refused, he’d just crush them instead. There were already rumors floating around that Nekomata was going to retire and the new boss of Nekoma would be stepping up soon. Bokuto would simply bide his time until that happened. He could then force this new boss into an alliance, or trample over them before they fully came into their power.

He adjusted his suits collar as he stepped into the cold night’s air, his men appearing out of the shadows to walk beside him as he made his way over to a car waiting to take him back to Fukurodani’s main hangout.

 _This isn’t over, Nekoma._ He thought as he entered the car.


	2. Boss?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Kuroo was slinking around a street corner, as one does, joking with his fellow family members. He stretched his arms over his head, today was technically a day off for him. He didn’t have to be a bodyguard, no jobs, just him and his brothers and sisters free to run amuck for the day.

He enjoyed his days like this, days where he was allowed to be carefree and immature, he didn’t have to wear a suit or appear intimidating. He didn’t have to linger in a corner and give off a foreboding aroura. He could just chill and joke with his family as they found ways to past the time however they wanted, on the condition that they kept their ears open and didn’t get into any serious trouble. Not that they would have to be worried about that, they were currently deep in Nekoma territory so the chances of them getting into trouble were slim.

He zoned out of the conversation for a minute, thinking back on the time Bokuto had come to The Cat’s Meow. It had been a few months since that time, and nothing interesting had happened since. He had seen Bokuto around and had even met him a few times, but was far from being friends with the man; despite that, he still thought that an alliance was a good idea. The Owls were a force to be reckoned with, even with their new boss. He didn’t understand why Nekomata-dono had rejected the offer, but he knew better than to question the boss’s instincts. To be fair, he didn’t reject the idea, he basically said to be patient and try again later; honestly, Kuroo thought he might have had to actually do his job by the look on Bokuto’s face, but he was pleasantly surprised when he left peacefully instead.

Kuroo didn’t care too much for being a bodyguard, but he couldn’t deny that he had an easy time looking the part. With is height, build, and ominous appearance in poorly lit meeting rooms, he definitely looked much more intimidating than he was sure he actually was.

“Kuroo! The boss wants to see ya!” A voice called, interrupting his thought process and jolting him back to reality.

“The boss? What for?” He was told he wouldn’t be needed, and it’s not like the boss’s grandson was the type to suddenly want to head out into the world. It was much too people-y for his taste.

“I don’t know why. He’s just asking for ya, let’s go! Move your ass!” Kuroo gave a wave to his comrades as he ran over to the man calling out to him. He heard some snickering, and some jokes that he was in trouble, that his teasing had finally landed him in some deep shit as they had always told him it would. He rolled his eyes at them, it was probably just to go over his schedule as a bodyguard. Nothing that important.

* * *

The Aobajohsai Family might have been attributed with an animal as the majority of the Mafia gangs were, but they had shed that name long ago, now they were simply known as Seijoh.

Seijoh has just a “pretty face” for a boss, that would annoy most people. Being a boss of one of the biggest crime families out there and mainly being referred to as a pretty face, but not this man. No, this man took pleasure in being referred to as just a pretty face, it made it all that much better when they learned how wrong they really were.

There was one thing that bothered him though. Seijoh’s boss was constantly surrounded by strong people, he didn’t mind that part. What he minded, was when people claimed that one of them was the real boss and not him. Now that usually involved people getting hurt.

Oikawa Tooru was a simple man, keep up his pretty face facade, and rule his territory with an iron fist. Just looking at him, you might not think he was that intimidating, but that’s what he wanted you to believe. That’s what made him dangerous. Aobajohsai has the power to influence how you think. It didn’t matter if you believed it or not, you would suddenly start thinking whatever they said. They rarely had to resort to violence to get their way, but when they did, they acted quick and skillfully. Finding their opponents weaknesses and picking them apart.

That’s why it wasn’t surprising that another Mafia boss was currently standing in front of him, trying to gain the knowledge he knew Seijoh possessed. If you wanted to take anyone down, but especially another gang, Seijoh should be your first call. They had dirt on everyone. If they didn’t have exactly what you wanted, then they had a way to get it.

“Tell me, what brings a Snake to my door?” Oikawa questioned. He knew the answer already, but that didn’t matter.

“I need information.”

“Everyone needs information. That’s why you’re here. Information isn’t free. Tell me what you need, and then we’ll come up with a price.”

“Nekoma.” The man hissed out, as if just saying the name was painful for him.

“What about them?”

“Just Nekoma. I need information on them. Everything you can get me.”

“That’s a bold request. What have you to offer?”

“Our allegiance, and a portion of their territory when we take them out.”

“So that is your goal. To take down the Cats; how fitting of Snakes.” Oikawa thought it over. He didn’t have any bad blood between him and Nekoma, as far as the mafia went- he did prefer the Cats over the Snakes. Nekoma held a large territory though, so it’d be nice to grab some of that without having to actually be the ones fighting for it.

“Nekoma is strong, and we have always remained neutral with them. You’ll have to do better than that if you expect us to turn on them.” Oikawa informed the man before him.

“I’m aware that they are some really tenacious kitties, that’s why we want all of the information we can possibly get. I can offer you products and protection as well. Consider my men yours, however risky the assignment, my men will complete it successfully. If they actually fail, then it’ll look like a Nohebi failure and Seijoh can walk away clean. With us, you can operate in secret, and have extra income from our products. All for just some information.” Daishou knew he had Oikawa then. The prospect of running any operation without any danger to his men or reputation was too great of an offer to refuse.

“How is your standing with our boys in blue?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be worried about them. I’m confident they’ll happen to be looking in a different direction during critical times.”

“I’ll be blunt, I don’t like you Snake-chan, but congratulations. You’ve got yourself a deal.”

“I look forward to the next time we speak.” With that the Snake slithered out of the room.

“Are you sure about this?” Oikawa’s right hand man asked.

“He had a good offer. For now we’ll play along. Besides I’m hearing some rumors of some interesting things happening with the Cats that I want to dig into further.”

“One wrong move, and we break it off with the Snakes. Our neutrality with Nekoma is more important.”

“Don’t worry Iwachan, I have no intentions of starting a war.”

* * *

“I-I- WHAT?!” If Kuroo wasn’t already sitting in a chair he was sure he would’ve ended up on his ass just now. This was crazy! They couldn’t seriously be considering this!

“We must protect the next boss. Kenma has remained hidden all this time. He’s only been known as my grandson or the ‘next boss.’ He doesn’t have the look or the voice of a boss, but he can lead.” Nekomata calmly repeated. He was expecting and prepared for Kuroo’s reaction.

“But why me?!”

“You’ve been seen with me and you’ve been all around high importance meetings and operations. You are the most believable person to do this. Nekoma needs a face to survive. With you as the face, and Kenma being able to remain behind the scenes, you two will be able to lead Nekoma to new heights.”

“I might have been around, but I’ve just been the bodyguard! No one would believe that!”

“They will. With no information being out there about Kenma and you always being there, it’s only natural to believe that I was grooming you to lead this entire time. Now you and Kenma would have to joint-lead in order for this to work, but I don’t see any problems there. Kenma could always be there in your ear if you needed him, otherwise, you’ll be the face that Nekoma needs.” Nekomata and Kenma had already agreed to this, now it was just a matter of getting Kuroo to hurry up and wrap his head around this. Kenma had absolutely zero intention of doing really anything public, and he wasn’t one for fancy speeches, but he knew that the Cats needed that. No one would want to follow the quiet thinker they knew nothing about, they needed someone they could really look up too. Someone who resonated power and control and looked good in front of a camera. Someone who could nonchalantly deal with police and the media when needed.

That person wasn’t Kenma. It would never be him. He could plan, and plot, and scheme like nobody’s business, but he couldn’t “lead.” That’s where Kuroo came in, he was smart and skilled enough to run things if Kenma wasn’t there to help him. As a bonus they got along well enough, and most importantly, he had the look and the attitude of a mafia boss that Nekoma needed.

“Kuro, you’re the only person I trust to do this.” Kenma spoke up to give the final push.

“Me? Be Nekoma’s boss?”

“Well you’d be one of Nekoma’s bosses, but to everyone outside of the higher ups, you would be.”

“Alright. Alright, if it’s for the good of the family, I’ll do it.”

“Attaboy Kuroo-kun. Now, let’s do something about that attire.” Nekomata patted him on his back.

“My- what?” Kuroo rattled off another question.

“Well you’re the boss now. We can’t have Nekoma’s boss running around in a leather jacket and biker gloves, now can we? Let’s go.” Nekomata pulled him along as he walked.

“Nekoma’s boss” oh boy, that was going to take some getting used to. Never, did Kuroo ever expect that to happen. Being boss wasn’t his dream, unlike many others, he was happy where he was. Even now he wasn’t looking forward to being the boss, but he could never force Kenma to play a role he would be miserable in. His family meant everything to him, so even if it meant giving up his current life, his current normal; he would do it.

“My team will become yours, and with their recommendations, you can have them create anything you wish to wear. I took the liberty of ordering your first official boss suit.” Nekomata added a glare at the “their recommendations” part, but otherwise his face remained calm and happy. Seemingly uncaring that he just essentially announced his retirement. Kuroo looked appreciatingly at the mannequin set before him, say what you wanted about Nekomata-dono, the man knew how you design a suit. It consisted of comfortable black slacks, dress shoes with reinforced soles and heels, hosting plenty of padding for comfort whether he’s in meetings all day or running around on an op. The top portion was a plain black dress shirt with a black tie, there was also a tie bar in the shape of Nekoma's symbol to hold it snuggly against his shirt. What really caught Kuroo’s eye was the suit jacket- it had a dark red base, with a bright red paisley pattern covering the entire jacket. It was a suit fit for a boss.

“Try it on. I want to show you a few secrets.” Nekomata encouraged.

After Kuroo slid into the suit, Nekomata showed him hidden pockets and weapons storages, explaining the material and how he already had a jacket for colder weather ordered. Showed him how he could fit hidden body armor under his suit if he needed the extra protection. Taking his time to show Kuroo how he could use a clasp on the jacket to secure it to his shoulders, but not actually have to wear it, allowing him to roll up his dress shirt sleeves up to his elbows to keep him even cooler. Once satisfied that Kuroo knew all of the secrets his suit had to offer, he introduced him to his personal tailors to make sure the suit fit properly before dragging him along again.

“Now, we must announce the change. I have already called a meeting, and the family should be gathering now. Once we announce it to them, it won’t take long before the other families catch wind of it, so be prepared. Any questions?” Kuroo made a noise of disbelief, not expecting the exchange of power to happen so soon, but honestly, he probably should have expected that.

“No? Good, let’s go.” Kuroo found himself getting dragged by the older man for the third time in an hour and didn’t bother resisting any more. It was useless at this point.

Nekomata made the announcement, yells, cheers, groans, and whispered broke out all at once. People didn’t know how to feel, but it wasn’t as bad as Kuroo was fearing it to be. For the most part, people seemed to be surprised, but didn’t mind too much.

 _That’s right, I’m on display for all you fuckers to see_. Kuroo thought, now everyone’s attention is securely on him, and Kenma’s identity is secured and he could help him lead from the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is in progress! See you next time!  
> ~Kiera540


	3. Chance Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you so much for all of the support so far! I really appreciate all of the likes and reviews I’ve gotten! Enjoy!

“It’s a bold plan. A good plan, but still a bold one.”

“But?” Kuroo prompted, he had known Kenma long enough to know that there was more on the shorter man’s mind.

“You can’t do it now. I agree with you. I always questioned why the old man did what he did, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Then why can’t I do it?!” Kuroo threw his arms in the air, he had been the “boss” of Nekoma for four days now and he was already starting to plot the mysterious murder of the pudding haired man.

“It’s too soon. You’ve been the boss for less than a week, you don’t have the pull for a move like this. Not yet.” Kenma looked up from his phone then, seeming almost bored.

“Ugh! Stupid freaking rules.” Kuroo groaned plopping down into a nearby chair.

“Whatever. I can’t tell you what to do, you’re the boss.” Kenma muttered focusing his attention back onto the game on his phone.

“No. That’s a trap. Right? That’s a trap?” Kuroo narrowed his eyes while Kenma just glared at him instead of answering with his words.

“You know I have never been a very patient man when it came to my plans.” He decided to change the topic instead for his own safety.

“Then I guess it’s time you learned.”

“You are an extremely unhelpful hidden boss.”

“You’re welcome.”

Kuroo sighed, knowing he wouldn’t get any further with the man before him, he also knew that Kenma was right. Nekoma respected him, for the most part, but they were still trying to process the sudden change. As for the other families, they would just be hearing about it. No one would want to do anything with him until they had an opportunity to get a solid feel for him. Kuroo hummed as he stretched his long limbs out, he had been essentially holed up in Nekoma’s main compound for the past four days and he needed to move. Now.

“I’m going for a walk.” He muttered, he took Kenma’s lack of response that it was okay for him to do so.

“Where are you off to?” A new voice prodded then.

“For a walk.”

“I’ll join you.”

“Yakkun, that’s really not necessary.” Yaku glared at the taller man at his choice of a nickname, but held his ground.

“I believe that it is, Kuroo-dono.” There’s that ending again. Kuroo still wasn’t used to it. He was used to people talking respectfully to him when he was a bodyguard for the higher ranks of Nekoma, but that was only when he was on duty. Once he was off duty, he could be as carefree as he wanted, it didn’t matter what others saw or what they thought. He was free to be himself. Now he had to maintain a very delicate appearance; keeping his stoic façade up wherever he went. He hated every minute of it, but he was loyal to his family. His family meant everything to him, and sometimes that meant that sacrifices had to be made.

“If you must. Trail back though.” Kuroo ordered, giving into the other man. He wasn’t about to fight a battle he knew he would lose.

“You won’t even know I’m there, Boss.”

* * *

“Well now that’s interesting.”

“We knew something big was about to happen. Not exactly what I was thinking though, I’ll admit that.”

“It’s a very interesting move indeed. Why? Why? Why? Looks like we have more work cut out for us.”

“Perhaps. But not right now.”

“We were probably the first people outside of the Nekoma Family to hear about this, and you couldn’t care less, could you Iwachan?”

“Do what you want. I’m going to bed.” Iwaizumi waved his arm in Oikawa’s general direction. He cared about this, he really did, but there was nothing they could possibly do at the moment. Nekoma had been locked up for the past four days while this transition happened. They wouldn’t be able to get a lick of any kind of information until the lockdown lifted. The only reason they knew so soon was because they had a Seijoh member who infiltrated the meeting Nekomata had called. They would have to wait until Kuroo and the other higher ranks of Nekoma started wandering around, that would be their signal that the transition successfully happened and they could start gathering information.

“Without me?” Oikawa easily dodged the pillow the shorter man threw at him. He wanted to stay up later and continue this conversation, but he knew that Iwaizumi would be exhausted from his taxing job as Oikawa’s right hand man and bodyguard. He turned back around to stare out of the large window that took up most of the wall before him. After so many nights spent in the Seijoh’s compound and warehouses, Oikawa was happy to be back in his and Iwaizumi’s private penthouse. This was one of his favorite places to be. It overlooked the city offering a gorgeous nighttime view, and only the most trusted members of his family even knew about this place, allowing the two men to actually relax when they were here.

Oikawa snorted at the groan pulled from the shorter man, quickly followed by a loud thump that he knew was Iwaizumi dropping his entire body onto their large bed. Content to enjoy his view a little longer, Oikawa allowed his mind to race, going through every scenario that he could think of to explain the situation regarding Nekoma.

Oikawa sighed, shifting his weight from his right leg to his left, happy to finally be out of his usual apparel. Relaxing now in dark sweatpants and a comfortable lounge shirt. He wondered how long he would actually be able to enjoy this rare peace this time around. He glanced back at Iwaizumi flopped on the bed in nothing but a pair of gym shorts and practically unconscious on the bed.

Looking out of the window he let his mind continue its spiral. Why did Nohebi care so much about what was going on with Nekoma? Why was their so many rumors spreading regarding Nekoma’s change in leadership? Who the hell was Kuroo Tetsurou?! Where had he come from? Why did no one know anything about him? Surely Nekomata had to have had some kind of disciple to pass his empire down, so why choose a random low ranking person? How exactly did Nohebi plan on taking down Nekoma? Did they know about this change already, and that was the reason they were striking now? His mind soared high above the clouds, losing the awareness of his surrounding while his mind spun wildly. There had to be a reason for all of this. Something big had to be going down. Something that he wasn’t aware of. He hated that. Information was one of Seijoh’s greatest strengths; if there really was something big about to go down, then they needed to know about it.

While his mind was starting to spiral out of control, a pillow smacked him solidly in the back of the head. He spun around to see Iwaizumi’s head turned in his direction, arm now stretched out on the bed with a scowl on his face.

“So mean, Iwachan! I thought you were asleep anyways.” Oikawa pouted as he yelled at him, rubbing the back of his head.

“How can I sleep when I can hear the gears in your head working in overdrive?!”

“Sorry, Iwachan. Go back to sleep.”

“Get over here. It’s a fucking night off for once, take advantage of it. Besides, you insisted on all of these pillows, so I have a lot of ammo.”

Oikawa gave him a gentle smile, relenting his side of the argument. He knew Iwa was serious, and once he ran out of nearby throwing objects, he would just get out up to drag Oikawa into the bed himself. But if that happened, then he’d have a grouchy, sleep deprived Iwaizumi on his hands, and he didn’t feel like dealing with that tonight. Instead, he bent down, and grabbed the now two pillows off of the ground, throwing them onto the bed before climbing into it himself. Bringing the covers up to cover both of them, the two men exchanged a few word. Mostly Iwaizumi threatening to shove him off the bed it he- didn’t sleep soon, snored loudly, kicked him, or was annoying in any other sort of way. Oikawa muffled his giggles into his pillow, knowing the threat did hold some truth to it. They shared another moment before sleep claimed them both and they actually managed to sleep peacefully for the first time in a long while.

* * *

True to his word, Kuroo couldn’t even see Yaku as he walked around, but he could still feel his presence. It was good for him to walk around, he needed to stretch his legs and recenter himself, but it also allowed his men to see their new boss. If he hid inside all of the time, it wouldn’t exactly radiate strength, which was one of the main reasons for this entire ordeal. Most members of the family had gotten over the shock of the transition by now, but it was still strange to say the least. His old friends and partners didn’t quite know how to interact with him now. Kuroo still longed to be his old carefree self, and people had to adjust to seeing a new boss when Nekomata-dono had been boss for as long as they could all remember.

Kuroo sighed, he missed his old life. Being boss was never what he wanted. Too much attention. He liked where he was at, high enough to have free reign in the majority of what he did, but low enough that no one paid much attention to him. Apparently Nekomata-dono had missed the memo on that. It was enough of a shock to be chosen as a bodyguard for such a high ranking member that very few people even knew existed, but it was another to get handed the key to the “family business.” Family meant everything to Kuroo. Especially this family. Yeah he had run into some trouble since he’d joined them, but they had always stood proudly by his side, helping him out as much as they could whenever he needed. Family sometimes meant sacrifice though, and Kuroo was devoted. So much so, that he shed what he considered a perfect life for the one he dreaded the most; all for his family.

Kuroo did his best to keep his thoughts from showing on his face, but he couldn’t be sure if it was working or not as he continued to roam Nekoma’s territory. His feet taking him on paths long since memorized. He wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention as to where his feet were taking him, wondering further and further away from Nekoma’s main base, a strong urge to separate from the insanity the inside of the building felt to him. His feet had enough sense to keep his body fully within Nekoma territory, but allowed him to get some distance between himself and any other eyes. Right now, Kuroo wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone. Ever since the announcement, he had been whisked all over the place. In meeting after meeting, and sitting through long lectures, learning about the family’s current state and other important matters. He knew it was all important information, and did his best to quickly memorize it, but now his body and mind felt fried. He needed a break and fresh air before he actually snapped and murdered the poor person who walked into the room next.

“Oya? What’s this? A cat slinking around on his own?” A voice interjected into his head.

“Oya, oya? An Owl without his flock?” Kuroo glanced at the other boss, his profile immediately popping into his head thanks to said long lectures.

“Seems like both of us enjoy our little strolls. What brings you out here?”

“I’m taking a walk, in my territory. It would be more reasonable for you to explain why you are here, in my territory.” Kuroo emphasized the last part of both of his sentences. Why was Bokuto here?

“Your territory? Well technically, but walk another block and you’d be in Fukurodani’s. What can I say? I like to walk along my border to inspect it.” Bokuto drawled out. Neither one of them really knew what was going on, carefully feeling each other out. Kuroo was half expecting Yaku to swoop down, along with whoever Kuroo knew would be following Bokuto around. That would definitely cause tempers to flare though, so he wasn’t too surprised when they both held their ground and observed from their vantage points.

“It’s still mine, if you wanted to patrol your border, you needed to turn left two streets down. Unless you forgot, but that wouldn’t have happened to you, the big bad boss, right?” Kuroo teases, he knew he might be pushing his luck, but he had always been a cheeky bastard who used his quick whip to figure people out, so why would he stop that just because he was “boss” now?

“You’re cute, you know that? What if I had planned on visiting you, ever think of that? Come on, people are saying you’re supposed to be smart.” Bokuto might have had a different style, but he could certainly keep up with the raven haired man.

“Ah, all this way just to see little ol’ me? You shouldn’t have.”

“I’m not here for you, don’t flatter yourself. I’m here on formality. You’ve just been appointed as boss, I’m a boss, and we’re neighbors. I’m here to congratulate you.”

“Are you now? How sweet.”

“That, and we need to talk business too. Let’s get a drink.”

“Got a place in mind?”

“Oh gee, I don’t know, if only there was a place nearby where two crime lords can gossip! It’s not like such a place exists. Where do you think, dumbass?!”

“I didn’t think you’d want to risk going to the Cat’s Meow.”

“I’ve done it before so why not? I do not fear Nekoma. Besides we’re neutral. So, let’s get a drink, celebrate, and have a little chat.”

“Fine with me Owl.”

“Lead the way, Pussycat.” Kuroo glared at him for that one, but spun around on his heals regardless to escort him farther into Nekoma’s territory. He could feel eyes burning into the back of his head and he honestly couldn’t tell if it was Yaku thinking he was an idiot, or Bokuto’s man watching his every move to defend his boss. He wondered how much of the conversation they had heard, if any at all. But considering that Bokuto and Kuroo had remained civil, they had all of the information they needed as they followed along. He was curious if they had bumped into each other. He figured they would try to avoid each other, but with the two bosses walking side by side, it would be difficult to the two tails to avoid each other completely. Oh well, he’s sure he’ll know once Yaku gives him an earful after he’s done with Bokuto. He briefly wondered what exactly the other man wanted, using the silence they walked in to his advantage, trying to gauge what mood swing the man was currently in, and a strategy to use against him.

Well this should be interesting. Kuroo thought as he could now see the Cat’s Meow in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience and I hope you liked that! Chapter 4 is in progress and will be up as soon as possible. See you next time!  
> ~Kiera540


	4. Developments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much for the support! The likes and comments really keep me going. Enjoy!

The last thing the Nehebi boss was expecting when he walked into his compound was to be greeted by a dark room, and surrounded by men that weren’t his own. He wasn’t surprised about the man standing in the middle of the room, but what was with this entourage? Could this man seriously go nowhere by himself?

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” He stated more calmly than he felt. It was nerve-racking with them here. Where were his men? How’d they all get in here? What were their intentions?

“How did your meeting with Seijoh go? Did they agree to help you?” The deep voice of the man in front of him seemed to bounce off the walls as he spoke.

“Oh yeah, they’ll help. I don’t understand why you couldn’t just ask them yourself.”

“Aobajohsia will never help us. Just like Oikawa will never help me. Did he trust you?”

“Trust? He acted like he did, but I can see through that smile. He’ll keep me within stabbing distance, but he doesn’t trust me.”

“That’s all we need.”

“You know, you never told me why Oikawa wouldn’t talk to you.”

“That’s because you don’t need to know.” A new voice snapped, this one closer. In the dim lighting, Daishou could see the slightly shorter man’s silver hair with darkened tips. That’s when he realized it. This man didn’t come with just anyone. He came with his whole damn upper ranks! A flash of red hair appearing at the silver’s side helped confirm his suspicions. Not only were the usual upper ranks here, but also the newly minted ones too.

“You’re the ones who want the information! I may not like Nekoma, but I wasn’t planning on moving on them right now. If you want me to stick my neck out for this information, you have to give me something!” It didn’t matter that he was outnumbered. It didn’t matter that this was one of the most dangerous mafia gangs around. Daishou was a boss, and no one would intimidate him in his own damn compound. Not even the brute of a man before him could.

“Oikawa, myself, and my Family have a long history. That’s all you need to know at this time.” The first man continued.

“Oikawa and S-”

“Ah ah. I wouldn’t say that name.” The red head had a knife to his throat faster than he could blink. So, his men were nearby after all. They must have somehow gotten Nohebi to clear out, and stationed themselves here for when Daishou came back. Their actions though, proved that they hadn’t revealed themselves; and still didn’t plan too. They didn’t want their name out there.

“Got something to hide, do we? Or, perhaps, you’re the ones hiding?”

“You got a death wish, brat? Just like to push your luck huh?!” The knife was pushed hard enough into the bosses skin to draw blood, but not actually cut him.

“That’s enough. He’s just provoking you. That’s what his kind does.” The silver hair put a hand on his comrades arm and guided the knife away. Despite the Snake’s attitude, they still needed him, and the other man was fully aware of that. He could tell by the look on his face, and how he didn’t flinch proved that he was planning on exploiting that knowledge.

“We’re done here. Tell Seijoh of our arrangement, and it won’t be Nekoma that you’ll have to worry about.” Like smoke the intruders started disappearing. The red hair spared him a glare, before spinning on his heal and leaving with the silver haired man. Daishou looked around, but had lost his visual of the boss after his voice boomed once again. A real cannon of a voice if you asked him.

Daishou flicked the lights back on and searched the entire room. He wasn’t expecting them to stay long, just in case someone from Seijoh was keeping an eye on the Snakes. However, he had no definitive way of knowing how long at least one of them had been here before he arrived. He checked for cameras and recorders, any kind of trap, or just anything being out of place. Of course he found nothing, it wasn’t their style to do anything like that. He sighed, as he heard voices in another room. He could instantly tell they were the voices of his men, relief flooding through him as they bickered amongst each other. He shook his head over the trivial arguments, and made his way up towards his private quarters to come up with a plan of attack. He had to find a way to deal with three different families after all.

* * *

Matsukawa panted as he sprinted up the stairs with Hanamaki right on his heals.

“Why do they gotta have so many fucking stairs?!” Mattsun complained as he kept up his pace. The two of them were some of the very select few who even knew of the existence of this place; that didn’t mean he liked it though. A normal persons first thought would have been to use the elevator, but unless you wanted to set off a whole butt-load of traps; it wasn’t exactly recommended. Wouldn’t it be smarter to rig the stairs instead, anyways? Mattsun kept grumbling as he continued sprinting up the twelve flights of stairs between him and his goal. Makki didn’t fare much better, but he at least kept his mouth shut as they climbed.

The only thing keeping Mattsun going was the hope that one day their positions would be reversed and he could laugh at them dying for once. You’d think that after all of the times that Mattsun has had to do this climb that he would be used to it by now. But no. He could never get used to these particular stairs. He was completely convinced that they had it out for him.

He finally saw the end of the staircase and burst through the door. If that didn’t warn them that they were coming up, then they were beyond all hope. He was pretty sure the stairs had censors so he wasn’t too worried about seeing something he didn’t need to or getting shot.

“Oikawa-dono! He’s-”

The door in front of him suddenly swung open and Mattsun found a gun centimeters away from his face. Completely unfazed, he looked around it to make sure Oikawa was in the room before continuing.

“He’s out! We spotted Kuroo out!”

“Oh it’s you two.” Iwaizumi lowered his gun and stepped aside to allow the other two into the room. Mattsun nodded a greeting to him as he passed, moving to stand in front of Oikawa. Makki was just happy to see that Oikawa was fully dressed and Iwaizumi was at least wearing pants, and both of them were fully awake and out of the bed. It didn’t matter if they had been up for hours or if a secret alarm caused them to suddenly spring up.

“Is he finally out? What’s he doing?” Oikawa questioned, not expecting the cat to come out of his hiding spot for another couple of days.

“He was just wondering around in Nekoma’s territory, but he ran into Bokuto from Fukurodani. Last report had them going towards the Cat’s Meow.”

“So they’re having a meeting.” Iwaizumi spoke up.

“Looks like it.”

“Who started it? Who went to who?” Oikawa continued his questions.

“They were right on the edge of the borders, but from what we can tell? It looked like Kuroo was just walking randomly and that Bokuto was intentionally heading into Nekoma’s territory.”

“We had intel that Bokuto met with Nekomata before the transition of power. It didn’t look like it ended well for him. He must be trying again with Kuroo.” Makki supplied.

“An alliance between Nekoma and Fukurodani at this stage will either be an excellent opportunity, or a devastating curse. It’s a bad time for Nohebi to be planning something.” Oikawa muttered, turning around as his mind started spinning with the new information.

“No one ever said this job was going to be easy. Remember what we agreed on.” Iwaizumi told Oikawa before addressing the other two members present, “Do we currently have anyone in the Cat’s Meow?”

“I think we’ve got a couple floating around.” Makki stated pulling out his phone.

“Have them keep their ears and their eyes open, but do not blow their cover under any circumstances. Even if we get none of their conversation, let’s get its outcome. We need to know if it works out this time. Nekoma will be on high alert once they spot the two of them so be careful. You two run it. We’ll figure out the next stage here.” Iwaizumi ordered.

“Leave it to us, Zumi!” Mattsun quickly dodged the arm that flung out towards his head and practically dragged Hanamaki out of the room with him. Hanamaki typed a few more things into his phone before pocketing it and running after his idiot of a partner to avoid Iwa’s wrath.

“You just had to say it, didn’t you?!” He yelled to his back.

“It’s worth it!”

“He is going to actually shoot you one of these days! You know that?!”

“It’s still worth it!” Mattsun giggled as he found descending the stairs to be easier and much more enjoyable.

* * *

“It looks a little different than I remember.” Bokuto commented as he followed Kuroo up the stairs to the private upper level of the club.

“Different night, different theme. I believe it was a classy night the last time you were here. Let’s just say it’s a bit more, eh, I guess who could say _steamy_ this time around. We are a club after all.” Bokuto snorted at his choice of words. ‘Steamy’ was one way to put it. The outfits were more straps and lace than anything else, with dancers everywhere you looked. The crowd was definitely rowdier this time around too. It made sense though, that was part of the reason the Cat’s Meow was so popular. With the theme constantly changing, it attracted a large horde of people regardless of that night’s current theme.

“Don’t tell me it’s too much for the big, bad, boss Bokuto to handle.” Kuroo teased as he watched Bokuto scan the crowd while they climbed the last few steps.

“In your dreams, Bed-Head.” Bokuto countered.

 _I take it back. This should be fun._ Kuroo thought to himself as he waved his arm towards a chair overlooking the entire club. He plopped down into the one next to it, allowing Bokuto to glance around one more time before seating himself in the chair Kuroo had pointed out for him.

At first nothing happened, each of the respected bosses scanning the crowd and getting a feel for the atmosphere. Kuroo still had no idea as to why Bokuto was here. He knew from the last time Bokuto was here that he wanted to form an alliance, but because of Nekomata’s swift refusal, he didn’t know the exact reason behind that alliance.

“So tell me, how does a bodyguard become the boss of one of the most powerful and known families around?” Bokuto questioned, eyeing the other man out of the corner of his eye.

“It does seem strange, doesn’t it? Want a drink?” Kuroo avoided the question.

“I believe your words were, ‘We are a club after all,’ right? It does seem awfully strange, that’s why I asked. Just wanted to shine some light on the subject.” Bokuto noticed the avoidance, but didn’t care and brought the conversation right back.

“What’s there to say? I was a bodyguard and now I’m a boss. I think it’s a whiskey night, how about yourself?” Kuroo waved one of the servers over, skirting around the question once again.

“I’m good with whiskey.” Bokuto’s eyebrow twitched, but otherwise his face remained pleasant. “What I don’t understand, is why no one had ever really heard of you before now. Why keep this a secret?”

“Doesn’t every family have their secrets?” Kuroo flashed him a smile. They were getting on each other’s nerves and they both knew that, but neither one of them was willing to back down. Not about this. Bokuto wanted information, and Kuroo had it. The only problem was that Kuroo had no intentions of sharing tonight.

“This is a rather unusual one though. I thought Nekomata had someone else lined up to take his spot.”

“Then you thought wrong.”

The mood surrounding them suddenly changed. This went from lighthearted questions to a full on interrogation. The two men glared at each other, not giving an inch. Kuroo would do whatever it took to keep Kenma’s identity a secret. He didn’t know if Bokuto was basing his claim on anything, or if he was just saying that to try to get Kuroo to slip up. He couldn’t risk it either way. Kenma had been seen in public a few times, and while they never said who he actually was, he was there. That, in and of itself, was enough to cause suspicion to people who were paying attention.

The glaring continued until the sever reappeared with two glasses, forcing them to break eye contact to accept their drinks.

“So, I believe your congratulations are over. Now, what did you want to talk about?” Kuroo once again tried to change the subject as he took a sip of his drink.

“You know exactly what I want. I want an alliance between Nekoma and Fukurodani.” Bokuto finally relented and allowed the conversation to flow a different direction now.

“And Nekoma might be interested. What do you purpose?” Kuroo smirked when Bokuto’s eyes lit up. He clearly wasn’t sure if he’d get this far or not.

“Similar to what I told the old man. Fukurodani has the strength to protect you during your ops. Using Nekoma’s tactics, we could both move more products and with our combined forces, we’d be able to protect them.”

“And in return?”

“Access to Nekoma’s digital empire, high clientele, and a small percentage of your product in return for our services.”

“Well the fee is new.”

“It’s a different time now. Every man I give to you for protection, is a man I lose. The money will make up for it.”

“I’ll give you seven percent.”

“Don’t act coy, I know Nekoma can afford it. Eighteen will be just fine.” Bokuto’s eyes snapped to him. Round two had just begun.

“Well why not just as for half if you’re going to be that bold. I’ll do eight.” There was no way Kuroo was giving this man as much as he wanted, but he knew Bokuto would never accept a low offer. He was just going to have to lowball him until he gave in.

“I’ll settle for twelve and we can both call it good and enjoy the rest of the night.” Kuroo seemed to ponder his offer.

“I can maybe do nine.” He said instead.

“Ten percent.” Bokuto said forcefully. It came out as an order instead of a request and Kuroo knew he had pushed this man to his limits. That was as low as he would go, and honestly, he had given more than Kuroo had. He supposed that ten percent of his profits wasn’t that big of a deal, and they couldn’t afford a war with Fukurodani.

“Ten it is, Owl.” Kuroo held his glass out to Bokuto. They’d have to finalize everything, but for now, they had a deal. Bokuto clinked his glass against Kuroo’s, satisfied enough with the deal.

“Ah!” Kuroo exclaimed after he took another sip of his drink. “We finished just in time, it looks like one of our crowd favorites is about to perform.” Bokuto dragged his eyes over to the stage in time to see the performers changing out. Bokuto had to physically stop his jaw from hitting the floor when he saw him again. It was the same performer that was on the last time he was here, Akaashi he remembered his name was.

To fit the theme, Akaashi was dressed in a deep red shirt with straps decorating his back, and cutouts at his sides. His pants managed to cover his crotch, but quickly transformed into mesh the further they went down. He wore strappy heels this time that showed off his long legs. Bokuto caught himself staring, but didn’t bother to look away.

Akaashi let the crowd roar while he brought his arm up to wave at the VIP section. He turned to face their section, and gave a small bow to Kuroo. His eyes raked over Bokuto, no doubt remembering him from last time. Akaashi gave him a wink when he saw Bokuto staring, before turning back to the crowd in front of him.

His voice was as silky smooth as Bokuto remembered, but this time he danced around the stage too. Three other performers came up to join him, but Bokuto didn’t take his eyes off of Akaashi, watching as he twirled around the stage.

Kuroo enjoyed Akaashi’s voice, he was one of their best performers by far, and always got the crowd going. It didn’t matter what the theme was, he could easily adjust his style to fit right in. That was part of the reason that he was so popular. Kuroo spared a glance at Bokuto to find the man completely entranced by Akaashi. Kuroo smirked. That was certainly an interesting piece of information. He had caught Akaashi’s wink earlier, but it didn’t surprise him. Akaashi was always a little flirty with their guests, even more so when it came to the important ones. Kuroo’s mind sparked and started to turn. This could be a very unique opportunity.

 _I wonder._ Kuroo thought as he continued to observe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked that! Fun fact- this is the longest chapter of, not only this story, but it’s also the longest chapter I have ever written! Chapter 5 is in progress. See you next time!  
> ~Kiera540


	5. You Got a Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has liked and commented so far! Sorry about the delay for this chapter, I had a bit of writer’s block. The next chapter might take just a little longer as well because I have some important tests coming up, and I count as an essential worker so I am still working full time. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
> 
> Now enough about me, enjoy the chapter!
> 
> EDIT- I’ve gotten a lot of messages concerning the other teams. The answer is yes! The other Haikyuu teams will be a part of this story. Please be patient for a little bit longer and they’ll be here. As a matter of fact, there’s a new one in this chapter.

Konoha watched as the two bosses made their way into the Cat’s Meow, determined to follow them. Before he got the chance the Nekoma boss’s tail appeared in front of him.

“I don’t think so.” He said.

“Good luck keeping me out.” Konoha sprinted across the roof he was currently on, dashing towards the roof of the Cat’s Meow. He didn’t exactly have a plan for getting inside, but he needed distance. He needed room to think and plot a way to get in. There was no way he was going to allow his boss to go into enemy territory alone. A chain suddenly wound around his left leg forcing Konoha to slam into the roof. He twisted his body at the last minute to have his shoulder hit first instead of his face, whipping his head around to glare at the other man.

“Don’t even try it! You’ll never make it inside.” Yaku growled out, keeping a firm hold on the chain. Konoha rolled his eyes, and reached into his jacket to aim a pistol directly between Yaku’s eyes. Yaku pulled on the chain, dragging Konoha a few feet and disrupting his aim.

 _Oh fuck you!_ Kohona’s mind screamed at him. He dropped his gun in favor of grabbing at the chain. Between his sharp kicks and the added assistance of his hands, he managed to slip out of the chain and stand on his feet again.

He was standing for a solid two seconds before being tackled onto the roof. Kohona swiftly kicked up, forcing Yaku off of him. He dove for his gun a few feet away from him, abruptly halting the movement when Yaku’s chain snapped down centimeters away from his outstretched hand. Kohona threw him a dirty look while his hand deftly went into his boot, pulling out a small dagger. He glanced at his pistol again to throw the shorter man off then quickly threw the knife directly towards Yaku’s shoulder. Yaku easily dodged the knife, but was left completely open for Kohona’s return tackle. Both of the men managed to land a few hits each before Yaku threw Kohona onto his back an arm’s length away from him.

The two men froze, glaring at each other for a few minutes. They both knew the other wouldn’t go down without a fight. If they were both tailing their respective bosses then they both had to, at least, be fairly skilled in combat. Kohona didn’t really feel like having a rooftop fight, and he knew Bokuto-dono would more than likely kill him if he caused a scene right now.

“Whatever.” Kohona muttered, scooping up his discarded pistol, and dropped down to sit on the roof. Making sure to position himself to clearly see the main entrance of the club. Yaku allowed him to do it, keeping an eye on him for a moment longer, before retracting his chain to hide in his sleeve once again. He also wanted to follow the bosses into the club, but he didn’t dare leave this man out here alone.

“Yaku.” He said as he dropped down besides the other man. What was that saying? If you couldn’t beat them, join them, was it? He couldn’t beat the crap out of this guy, he couldn’t scare him off, and he couldn’t enter the club. He might as well make the best of the situation and watch the main entrance with him.

“Kohona.” He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He knew his boss was looking to make an alliance, so he might as well play nice for the time being. He didn’t want to risk doing anything that would jeopardize their meeting. He knew that if he moved or looked to be trying anything, the man apparently named Yaku would use that troublesome chain again. Resigning himself to his fate, he pressed a hidden button on his wrist to signal his boss he couldn’t make it in. Yaku raised an eyebrow at him, but otherwise didn’t react. Considering nothing immediately exploded, he could probably figure out the reason himself.

The two men sat in silence, occasionally glancing at the other out of the corner of their eyes, but otherwise patiently waited for their boss. Yaku tapped his earpiece twice, acknowledging when he heard people start to talk about Bokuto’s presence in the club, assuring them that he was aware and alright. A “Copy that.” echoed in his ear after his taps, everyone knowing it meant he couldn’t talk.

“I’ll keep you informed, sir." Yaku tapped again at the words before falling still to watch the people wandering around below him.

* * *

The last thing Terushima was expecting to do on his beloved Friday evening was walking to an abandoned warehouse that was basically in the middle of fucking nowhere. It wasn’t exactly in the middle of nowhere, but it was so far out of his territory that it felt like it was. He really wasn’t looking forward to this meeting. He had never met this man personally, but he had certainly heard plenty about him. The majority of the tales weren’t pleasant. He had half a mind to refuse the offer to meet altogether, but he didn’t think the man was above knocking on his front door instead. The neutral ground at least gave him a small piece of mind.

He glanced at his watch as he continued his path. At his current pace he’d arrive perfectly on time for the meeting. He wondered if his elusive person would be as well. He looked up to see a shadow fly past far above his head, not at all surprised to see his family members lurking about. They would have to keep their distance, and they weren’t allowed to be in the warehouse, but they would be nearby. Come on, did anyone actually go to these things alone?

He finally started to see the warehouse in front of him as he wove through the dark back roads. This warehouse not only was outside of both of their territories, but it was also in a no man’s land section. The neutrality made Terushima feel slightly at ease not having to worry about a surprise attack from a third party, but it did nothing to help his concerns about what the other group would do. For all he knew, he could be walking directly into a trap. As much as he hated to admit it, there were easier ways to kill him than to drag him all the way out here. He figured the odds of a surprise attack and immediate death were slim, but the odds of being threatened and forced to do something were incredibly high in his mind.

The heavy metal doors loudly creaked as Terushima forced them open against their protesting hinges. Well at least he would know if anyone came through that door. He took a second to familiarize himself with his new surroundings, noting the broken windows and the massive hole in the roof. Despite the loud doors, with all of the structural fractures, it would be easy to have people sneak inside for an ambush. Random shipping containers were strewn about the room, some still in perfect condition, while others were dented or had been pried open. Trash littered the floor and a slightly unpleasant odor filled his nose while he strode into the center of the room.

“You have a good sense of time, I like that.” Terushima didn’t even hesitate to pull his gun out and whip around to point it at the voice coming from behind him.

“Now that’s just rude.” The voice mocked, the man seemed unfazed at being held at gun point.

“What do you want with me?” Terushima growled out, he wasn’t going to play this man’s games.

“Gun down first, then we’ll talk.” The man tapped the barrel with his finger and rose an eyebrow in challenge.

“I don’t ask the same question twice.” Terushima muttered, but pocketed his gun again.

“No you don’t seem the type to, again, I like that. Daishou Suguru, boss of Nehebi, nice to meet you.” The man introduced, taking another step forward so he could be clearly seen in the dim moonlight.

“Terushima Yuji, boss of Johzenji, likewise.” Terushima sat down on a random box that Daishou waved his hand at, while the snake seated himself across from him.

“I’ll get right to it. I’ve got a job for you.” Daishou finally informed him.

“And what makes you think I’ll run a job for you?”

“Well isn’t that Johzenji’s whole stick? You’ll run a job for anyone.” The last part was said firmly, this wasn’t a request from Daishou’s end.

“Haven’t you heard? I’m more of an unconventional boss.”

“I’m aware. That’s why I called you. Look, I don’t care how exactly you do it, I just need you to complete the main objective.”

“And what would that be?” Terushima raised an eyebrow then, he wanted a straight answer out of the man, or he’d walk out right now.

“I want you to wiggle your way into Fukurodani.”

“Fukurodani?” Shock flashed across Terushima’s face then, before a chuckle fell from his lips. “You’re joking right? Fukurodani doesn’t just let people in. Not happening.”

“Like I said, I couldn’t give a shit how you do it, and I don’t really care how long it takes you. I just need you in close.”

“How does that help you? It sounds more like a new alliance for Johzenji than something for Nehebi.”

“I just need someone in place to whisper a few things in Bokuto’s ear at the proper time. What you do before and after that, I don’t care.”

“What makes you think I can get in?” Terushima had to admit that is sounded interesting. It was a better deal than he was hoping to receive from the man, and who cared if he had to suggest something here and there. All he had to do was say it, it would be up to Bokuto to then act on it or not.

“Word has it that he might be coming to you soon for a normal job.”

“Whose word?”

“One of my sources, that’s all you need to know.”

“And if I fail?”

“Then I look the other way and find a new plan. Either way, this meeting never happened.”

“Yeah no shit it didn’t. How many times are you planning on having me whisper to Bokuto? That cover won’t last long. Especially if I’m doing it a lot.” Terushima didn’t trust his words in the slightest. There was no way Nehebi would just sigh and move on if this didn’t pan out the way they wanted it too. He wasn’t planning on failing, but he’d have to keep a close eye on Nehebi while he worked.

“Just a few times. They’ll be in quick succession. Do it properly, and he won’t notice.”

“So all I have to do is get Bokuto to trust me, suggest a few things, then you and I are done? I never have to talk to you or see your damn ugly face again?” Terushima’s tongue piercing flashed when he licked his lips mocking the other man. Just because he might actually do this job didn’t mean he had to be submissive. He wanted to push the man. He wanted to know what the other man was truly like. If he was going to be working with him then he needed to get his own feel of the man instead of going off of rumors.

“That’s it, and I’ll never have to deal with your bratty attitude again.” Daishou leered right back he wasn’t going to allow the younger man to bait him, but he was still quick to jab right back at him. He was expecting this attitude, and was honestly surprised it hadn’t immerged earlier. Johzenji might not seem like the ideal choice for this job, but there really was no one else. Of the major families, Johzenji and Nekoma had the best chances of getting close to Fukurodani. Nekoma would never help Nehebi, and it would be rather counterproductive sense they were Nehebi’s main target. That made Johzenji the next best bet. They were also probably the only family out there that could weasel their way in undetected due to their unique job set.

Johzenji was known for running jobs for all of the main families and even for the smaller ones too. They were a strong family in their own right, but they had a talent for being everywhere at once. Their amazing adaptability was what had allowed them to survive despite struggles in the past. Their newest boss was no exception, his unpredictability and style made Johzenji a formidable opponent. If you needed a job done, then Johzenji was who you turned to. It made them difficult to trust sometimes, and damn near impossible to know what they were thinking, but the risk was well worth it.

Daishou had a plan to keep Johzenji in line if they ever started to drift away, but Terushima didn’t need to know about that yet. He knew for a fact that Johzenji was sitting idle at the moment, currently in between jobs so he wasn’t worried about a betrayal.

“So, do we have a deal ya damn lemon?” Daishou snuck another jab in, but extended his arm out in front of him.

“Sure, Snake, you got yourself a deal.” Terushima grabbed the other man’s hand firmly, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about this job, but he didn’t want to know what would happen should he refuse. It was an easy enough job, time consuming, but easy.

* * *

“What’s the situation?”

“We’ve got two men currently inside the Cat’s Meow. They’re security just tightened so we’re not getting any more.” Iwaizumi reported.

“What of the two?”

“They have a visual, but they can’t get access to them without looking suspicious. It’s that damn upper level that’s locked tight.”

“Hmm. No, they wouldn’t get through that. Keep them hidden and have them watch. We need to know if this meeting goes well or not.” Oikawa leaned back into his seat when Iwaizumi brought a phone up to his ear. He’d rather be out there right about now, but Iwaizumi had insisted on him taking a break long before all of this started. Iwaizumi refused to allow him to overwork himself as he had done in the past. A mistake like that now could lead to death. Oikawa hated it, but he saw his point. He also valued his head, and didn’t feel like dodging Iwaizumi’s swings at it if he continued to refuse.

He enjoyed lounging around their large shared flat, but he was already starting to get antsy just sitting here. Iwaizumi was an excellent distraction, but he couldn’t stop his mind from spinning one hundred percent of the time. Oikawa might have been the strong and calculating boss, but Iwaizumi was the pillar he could lean on when he needed support and the backbone of Seijoh. The shorter man was always there. He had always been there. There wasn’t a better duo out there in all of the families. Oikawa would even argue there wasn’t anyone better in the whole world. No one knew someone else like these two knew each other. It didn’t matter what the situation was, they could practically read each other’s mind. They knew their counterparts mood from one little sway of their hand. Sometimes they got on each other’s nerves, sometimes they drove the other crazy, but there wasn’t a force on heaven or earth that could ever separate them. The two of them had a long history together, but they had never turned their backs to the other.

“Tooru.” Iwaizumi’s voice broke through his thoughts.

“Yes, Iwa-chan?”

“What are you thinking about?” Iwaizumi didn’t even need to glance in Oikawa’s direction to know that something important was going through his head. He looked anyways and saw a fond expression on his face. Whatever it was, it was very important to him.

“Us.” Came his simple reply.

“What’s there to think about?” Iwaizumi was a little shocked at his words, but it would explain his expression. He was glad to see that Oikawa was starting to relax during their precious time off, and with Makki and Mattsun taking care of everything, he planned on enjoying this time.

“It’s just where my mind took me. Come sit with me.” Oikawa reached for him and got handed the cup of coffee that Iwaizumi had prepared for him instead.

“There’s no way that we’ll both fit in that chair.” Oikawa rolled his eyes and grabbed both cups of coffee after standing up. He used his feet to nudge at Iwaizumi until he sat down into Oikawa’s former spot. Once he was situated, Oikawa climbed into his lap facing the window and curled into his side.

“See? Perfect fit.” Oikawa laughed, handing Iwaizumi his coffee mug back.

“You’re not the one getting crushed.” He complained, but made no effort to move.

“I am not heavy enough to crush you.”

“That’s what you think. Move your elbow for me, it’s stabbing my ribs.” Iwaizumi continued to grumble about their current positions until Oikawa kissed his cheek and stole his attention again.

“I was hoping to eavesdrop on Bokuto’s and Kuroo’s meeting, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised they escaped to the upper levels to have it.” Iwaizumi didn’t flinch with the sudden conversation change, long used to how Oikawa’s mind worked.

“Give it time. We’ll figure out what happened, we always do.”

“I know, but things are changing. I’m not as patient as I once was.”

“I noticed.” Iwaizumi quipped, earning himself a glare. Oikawa thought about smacking him, but he deemed the coffee in his hand to be more important.

“Rude, Iwa-chan!”

“Yeah, yeah. So, what of Nehebi?”

“All is quiet. He’s waiting for his next round of information, but otherwise he’s behaving surprisingly well.”

“I still don’t like this.” Iwaizumi grumbled again. He didn’t trust Nehebi at all, and still hadn’t accepted the fact that they were working with them. He trusted Oikawa’s judgement, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about the arrangement.

“I know. We’ll keep an eye on it.”

“Good. Now, enough of that. You’re supposed to be giving your mind a break.” Iwaizumi scolded him.

“Then why don’t you help me take my mind off things?” Oikawa challenged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y’all enjoyed that! Chapter 6 is in the works.
> 
> Side note-  
> I wrote an IwaOi story to help me overcome my block and also for practice. So, if you’d like to check it out, it’s “Kiss it Better” on my profile. See you next time!  
> ~Kiera540


	6. Reports

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s here! Thank you for your patience and for your amazing support! Now, I have a question for all of you-  
> I can’t decide if I should have Suga and Daichi be co-bosses of Karasuno, or if I should have Suga be the boss and Daichi be a cop. What are your thoughts on this? I have a plot line for both story options, I just can’t decide. So, I’m going to leave it up to y’all! Which story line would you like to see more? Let me know in the comments! Now, enjoy the chapter!

“We are now aligned with Fukurodani.” Kuroo informed Kenma when he made his way back into the hidden rooms above the Cat’s Meow.

“I figured he wanted something like that. What were the terms?” Kenma questioned while he lounged in a large chair with his face in his phone.

“All the usual ones. Access to Nekoma’s digital empire, high clientele, and ten percent of our profits.”

“A percentage?! Kuro, why’d you let him have that?”

“Trust me, that’s the best I could do. I’m not surprised he added a fee, this business ain’t cheap. It was almost twenty percent, but ten won’t make that much of a difference to us. It’s worth it, Kenma.”

“He wanted more? How much exactly?” Kenma suddenly seemed interested in Kuroo’s story. Kuroo didn’t see what the big deal was. Who wouldn’t want part of the profit of a shipment they helped to protect and deliver?

“Originally it was eighteen. He started higher than I thought he would if I’m being honest, who would give that much right off the bat?”

“He needs money.” Kenma muttered so low that Kuroo almost didn’t catch it.

“Hmm? What’d you mean?”

“Think about it. At first, Fukurodani only wanted an alliance with the deal being he would get information and important contacts from us, but now his second offer demanded a percentage. If he went that high right off the bat, then it means it’s more than just an exchange of services in his mind. He’s got to be hurting for funds.”

“Why though? Don’t get me wrong, what you said made sense, but we have nothing that proves that. They haven’t had any bad jobs recently, they haven’t had to buy anyone off. Why would they be desperate enough to try and highball me?” Kuroo waited for Kenma’s reply. Seeing the smaller man’s eyes almost glaze over as he retreated into the depths of his mind. All of this information made sense, but they were too many unknowns for them to actually act.

“They’re not broke.” Kenma muttered again, “They’re planning something. They must be short the funds they need for some big operation.”

“What the hell would Fukurodani be planning right now?”

“How am I supposed to know that off of the information we have, Kuro?”

“Why is every damn family on the whole damn planet planning something right now?!” Kuroo was close to screaming at this point. Why’d everyone have to go and get busy now that he was boss and it was now his problem to deal with it?

“You didn’t think this quiet would last did you?” Kenma smirked at him. He was used to having to constantly watch the plots of the other families, but with Kuroo coming from the lower ranks, he had to remind himself that Kuroo wouldn’t always have been aware of those plans.

“I just thought I’d be able to breathe more since I was the boss.”

“How’s that going for ya?” Kenma snickered at him. He was thoroughly enjoying their new arrangement. Kuroo decided that flipping him off was a better response than using his words like the adult he supposedly was.

“Yaku, come here for a moment.” Kenma called ignoring the raven.

“What do you need, Sir?” Yaku asked as he left his spot guarding the door. He was one of the very few who knew the actual leadership situation inside Nekoma. It seemed like an insane plan at first, but he supposed it was necessary. The interaction with Bokuto was a perfect example, without Kuroo’s quick wit and bantering attitude, Bokuto definitely would have tried to muscle Kenma into giving him whatever he wanted. Now, Yaku knew that Kenma would never had given in, and would have found a way to retort in his own way, but Kuroo clearly had an easier time than Kenma would have. The image of a mafia boss was so important that it made Yaku believe that this might actually work. Despite looking like an idiot and seeming childish at times to Yaku, he has been surprised with Kuroo’s intellect and strength over the years that he no longer doubted him. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill anyone who tried to tell Kuroo that though, he had his own reputation after all.

“Do you know where Bokuto went after meeting with Kuroo?” Kenma asked pulling the other man out of his head, and pointily ignoring Kuroo’s still raised hand.

“His guard wasn’t having it, I know he was heading east.” Yaku informed him.

“Speaking of his guard, he do that to you?” Kuroo interrupted, gesturing towards Yaku’s bruised face.

“We might have had a small rooftop altercation. Nothing to be concerned about, Sir.” Yaku snapped more than he had intended, remembering the other man with enough sass to match his own. He was honestly surprised they hadn’t gotten into another scuffle during their bosses meeting.

“Don’t,” Kenma snapped before Kuroo had the chance to say something smart that would inevitable start an argument between the two, “East? That’s not the direction of his territory from the club.”

“No. The banks are though.” Kuroo muttered thoughtfully. Kenma might just know what he’s talking about.

* * *

“Everything alright, Sir?” Konoha asked his boss once he dropped down from his vantage point to walk beside him. They had traveled far enough away to ensure that Yaku wouldn’t follow them, and he already checked for any other tails.

“I’m fine, it was just a mee- what the hell happened to you?!” Bokuto yelped out once he glanced over his shoulder to look at his guard.

“A short, snappy blond and I might have taken a few swings at each other.” Konoha spat clearly holding resentment towards the other man as he brought his hand up to prod at his slightly swollen cheek.

“I assume he was the reason you couldn’t make it inside?”

“Him and his damn chain.” Bokuto had no idea what the second part meant, but he got the picture, he was about to speak again when Konoha continued, “What kept you anyways? Negotiations go bad?”

“Negotiations went fine. I stayed to watch a show.”

“So you were watching a show, while I was getting punched in the face?”

“Apparently it was their best performer, Kuroo offered to have me stay and watch. I couldn’t refuse that offer now that we are aligned.”

“Sure.” Konoha muttered sounding unconvinced. Bokuto ignored his jaunt, he wasn’t exactly lying, Kuroo had offered him to stay and watch their best performer. He didn’t have to stay for his entire routine, but between the show and good booze, he decided staying a bit longer was appropriate. Himself and Kuroo bickered back and forth, and drank a few more glasses, but Bokuto discovered he liked the guy. Sure his wit was as quick as a bullet, but they was more under the surface Bokuto could tell. Those taunts weren’t random, he was paying attention and constantly gathering information to use even during their conversation. He was a little concerned about Nekoma having a new boss, but his meeting with Kuroo put those all to rest. He was looking forward to his new alliance.

“Uh, Sir? This isn’t the right way, how many drinks did you have?” Konoha question when he realized that Bokuto was still walking on his original east heading.

“We’re not going home. You good for one more stop?” Bokuto glanced at his beat up guard again as he asked.

“Of course, Sir. Where did you have in mind?”

“We’re going to Datekogyo.”

* * *

“Tell me, what brings the King of the Owls to my door?” Futakuchi asked foregoing a greeting when Bokuto was brought into the main room.

“Futakuchi, Aone, Obara, good to see you again. First tell me how fares Date?” Bokuto flashed a smile as he gave a proper greeting.

“The Iron Wall still stands strong.” Obara gave the customary answer while Aone nodded his head at him. Bokuto wasn’t expecting much, Date Tech was extremely guarded after all, outside members were never allowed into the family. They were fiercely protective of their younger members, and kept them hidden until they were prepared to present themselves in Dates bold colors. Date Tech didn’t run as many ops as the other families, but they were by far the richest of them all. They had such an expanse of wealth they began making deals with the other families and loaning out their fortune, eventually becoming known as the mafia banks. Bokuto had yet to figure out where their vast wealth came from without them running ops, but at this moment he didn’t care. He had a problem, and Datekogyo was the solution.

“What do you want?” Futakuchi demanded.

“What do you think? I need money.” Bokuto snapped, pleasantries thrown out the nearby window.

“Then let’s make a deal. What can you offer us?” Futakuchi smirked at getting the other man to drop the act so quickly.

“I have enough product that would easily cover the cost of the loan.”

“You mean the same product that’s constantly being moved, sold, and stolen? Try again. We require something much more permanent.”

“I offer you half of Fukurodani’s territory.”

“That’s too far away from us, we wouldn’t be able to effectively hold it. I’d give it less than a week before you or someone else retook it. Try again.” Futakuchi scoffed, he knew the other man had a better offer and was just trying to avoid it.

“I’ll give you the entirety of Fukurodani’s reserve of drones should this fail.” Kohona’s head snapped over to bore holes into the back of his bosses head at his words so fast that we was actually afraid he broke something. Fukurodani being known as Owls wasn’t for shits and giggles, they ruled the skies. It was the most closely guarded secret of Fukurodani, the drones only being known to the highest members of their order. Kohona felt like smacking himself as the pieces suddenly clicked into place. Futakuchi wasn’t calling Bokuto an Owl to tease him, he was hinting towards what he wanted. It worried Kohona that Date Tech seemed to know about their drones, but he supposed they would be the last ones to spill or act on that little fact.

Getting those drones was the hardest thing Fukurodani has done, and the operation effectively solidified Bokuto as the new boss. It was one of the first ops that Bokuto ran after becoming the boss of Fukurodani, everyone thought he was crazy, but those mummers quickly shut up when he returned triumphant. Konoha wasn’t on that op, so he had no idea how they had managed to steal the shipment from the military. He remembered when Bokuto returned carrying some of the crates, with a large gash on the left side of his cheek. His new boss had been left with a permanent scar that went from a little above his top lip and stretched all the way across his cheekbone to disappear into his hairline. After weeks of ensuring the drones couldn’t be tracked by the military, some sneaky reconfiguration, and avoiding patrols, Fukurodani finally had the opportunity to put their newest asset to the test. With the resulting resounding success, it became Fukurodani’s greatest weapon. To have Bokuto offer it all up so lightly floored Kohona, especially after what the man himself went through to obtain them. He really hoped that whatever the boss had planned would be worth it.

“Third time really is the charm then. You have yourself a deal, Bokuto-dono of Fukurodani.” Futakuchi smiled sweetly at him.

* * *

“He’s gone.” Kunimi whispered as he return to the bar.

“Where’d he go?” Kindaichi questioned him once he leaned besides him on the bar.

“To the upper levels. We can’t follow him there.”

“Then we’re done here.” Kindaichi glanced around the club one more time. They had been watching the interaction between Kuroo and Bokuto, but now that it was over, they needed to get out of here before they were discovered. Bokuto had left a few minutes ago and Kuroo remained in the same place, he spoke to one the severs and waited for an answer before he got up himself. Kindaichi hated that he couldn’t get closer to the two men, but he knew that Iwaizumi would more than likely murder him if he exposed himself. So he waited, and observed. The meeting clearly went well, both men remained civil and parted on good terms. If the cheers they did right before the performers changed were any indication, then Fukurodani and Nekoma were now aligned.

His first instinct was to run out of the club to report, but that would definitely make them look suspicious. This wasn’t normal club security. All of the security guards, bouncers, and even bartenders were also members of the Nekoma family. Security had already been tightened because Kuroo was present and it only got worse once they realized that Bokuto was with him. It was the tightest it had been in a long while. There was no way the two Aobajohsai members would have ever been able to enter if they hadn’t happened to have arrived just twenty minutes before the two bosses made their entrance. It worked to their advantage. No one had even spared the two of them a glance, not with the meeting going on upstairs. Now that it was over, their chances of being discovered had increased tenfold. Being lower ranking members meant that they weren’t well known and would be harder to recognize, but there was no way that they had never been seen before. They needed to get out.

Kindaichi finished his drink while Kunimi made himself busy watching the newest performer. After paying, Kindaichi watched the performer for a minute and scanned the area again. He felt Kunimi tap his thigh twice with his hand, to signal he had cleared his section and was ready to leave, Kindaichi returned the gesture. Kunimi crossed in front of him to lead them out of the club. Kindaichi put a hand on Kunimi’s shoulder to avoid them being separated as they weaved through the sweaty dancing bodies crowding the club’s floor. They continued their path, making a beeline for a side exit door. Someone pushed up against Kindaichi, forcing him to lose contact with Kunimi. Kunimi slowed his pace and turned around to watch Kindaichi get swept away by the dancing crowd, he saw Kindaichi force a hand up and flick a wrist at him, signaling him to go and he’ll catch up. Kunimi nodded at him, Kindaichi will find a way. Either by making his way back, or moving with the crowd towards the main entrance and exit.

Kunimi turned around again, carefully making his way towards their original exit door. He was just a few steps away now. He glanced back over his shoulder, but couldn’t see Kindaichi anymore, he’d just have to go to their rendezvous point and wait for him. Spinning his head back he forced his body to stop on a dime to avoid crashing into someone who had just entered the side door.

“Sorry.” He muttered as he passed the shorter blond man. By the time Kunimi turned around, combined with his pace, he couldn’t see the other man’s face. The outfit told Kunimi everything he needed to know, this man was Nekoma. Kunimi didn’t know who exactly he was, but he was definitely part of the higher ranks. Thankfully his attention didn’t seem to be on Kunimi as he made his way inside. With his head turned before, Kunimi doubted the man had seen his face, but he didn’t plan on staying to find out. He quickly walked out of the door and headed straight to the rendezvous point, not daring to look behind him as he went.

Once he deemed he was far enough away, Kunimi looked all around, searching for any indication he was being followed. Deeming it safe, Kunimi finally allowed himself to breathe normally again as he continue on his way. He was almost at his destination, and still had yet to see any sign of Kindaichi. That worried him slightly, especially after his own close call, but he figured Kindaichi was actually better off than him and just had a longer walk. If he went out of the main entrance, he’d have to go a few streets past their meeting point and then circle back around. That was the only way to reach the spot without finding some way to walk through buildings. If he pushed through the crowd and walked out the same side door, then he’d be a bit behind Kunimi. The thought of Kindaichi being captured flashed through Kunimi’s mind, but he quickly shook his head to clear away those thoughts. He couldn’t think like that. No. He knew he had walked faster than he normally did, so if Kindaichi went at his normal pace, then of course it’d take him longer.

After leaning against the wall next to their rendezvous point for ten minutes, Kindaichi appeared out of the shadows, calling a greeting.

“You’re late.” Kunimi snapped at him.

“Sorry. I got pushed out the front entrance and had to take the long way around.” Kindaichi apologized.

“Were you followed?”

“Nope. We’re all good. Ready to report?”

“Yeah. Let’s walk while we do it.” Kunimi would have smacked him for making him worry like that if it wasn’t so much effort. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and refocus for his report before he snatched his phone out of his pocket. He stole a glance at Kindaichi, and at his nod, called Matsukawa.

* * *

“What have you got for me?” Matsukawa asked in lieu of a greeting after checking the caller ID on his phone.

“Kunimi, with Kindaichi, ready to report on the meeting between Kuroo of Nekoma and Bokuto of Fukurodani, at the Cat’s Meow.” Kunimi voice stated through the phone in what could not be more of a regulations voice.

“Report.” Matsukawa calming said, keeping his snickers from the difference in Kunimi’s voice to himself.

“We couldn’t get to them because the retreated to the second level, so we have no idea what exactly they said. However, we know the meeting had to have gone well. After talking for a while, and sharing drinks, we can confirm that they parted in high spirits. Nekoma and Fukurodani are now aligned.”

“Where’d they part to?”

“Unknown, Sir. Kuroo snuck back into the upper levels of the Cat’s Meow. We lost sight of Bokuto once he left the club.”

“How’s your cover?”

“I passed a Nekoma higher rank, but he didn’t pay me any mind.” Kindaichi’s head snapped over to look at him at his words, he couldn’t believe that had happened. When Kunimi raised an eyebrow at him, he realized he was voicelessly asking him a question, “Kindaichi says nothing more to report on his end.” Kunimi finished.

“Alright, good work.” Matsukawa praised them, waving Hanamaki over to him.

“Fancy a run, boys? Get back here ASAP.” Matsukawa finished, hanging up on them.

“What’s up?” Hanamaki question once Mattsun hung up.

“Report from the Cat’s Meow.” Mattsun relayed the same report he had received.

“Great. Now both of those troublemakers are friends.” Makki groaned out.

“Yep. You report to Iwaizumi and Oikawa-dono, it’s your turn to get a gun in the face.” Mattsun told him, “I’ll watch the other teams.”

“You know that wouldn’t happen if you just knocked instead of barging in.” Makki teased him, but started moving anyways.

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Mattsun flashed him a large smile that only grew larger when Makki rolled his eyes at him.

“You have a death wish, you know that?” Makki turned around to make the trek to his boss, leaving Matsukawa’s to laugh his ass off by himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone liked this chapter as well! Please, take a second and tell me your thoughts on the differing story line options! Chapter 7 is in progress.  
> See you next time! ~Kiera540


	7. Plotting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of these days I will post a chapter update before midnight. *Sigh*  
> So far, the storyline with Daichi as a cop is in the lead, but there’s still time to vote! Thank you so much to those of you who have voted already!

“Yaku, what’s on your mind?” Kenma questioned the man who was clearly engrossed in his own head; not paying a lick of attention to the meeting happening around him.

“Just thinking about something.” He responded. He smirked when Kenma remained silent, encouraging him to continue. Kenma always was quick on the pickup. Despite not being a people person, Yaku had yet to find someone Kenma couldn’t read. It was always surprising how Kenma managed to wiggle his way into someone else’s head, but it also a testament to his strength. People had a tendency to underestimate Kenma due to his appearance and attitude; but underneath his calm demeanor, was a raging storm.

“When I came inside yesterday, after the negotiations were over, I almost ran into someone. I only caught a glimpse of his face, but he seemed familiar. I know I’ve seen him somewhere before. I can’t place it though.”

“Was is a regular? We have quite a few, after all.” Kenma questioned in an effort to keep his mind going.

“No, that’s not it. It was someone I just can’t- ugh! I know I’m forgetting something!” Yaku groaned in frustration. He had forgotten about the encounter when he was reporting yesterday after the meeting. However, now that he had remembered, he couldn’t stop replaying the scene in over and over inside his head. It concerned him. Normally, he was an expert at recognizing faces, but with only seeing a small fraction of the other man’s face, it was hopeless to remember that way.

“Give it time.” Kenma reassured him, there was no doubt in his mind that Yaku would get to the bottom of this,

“Did you hear the rumors about the Russian Mob moving in?” Kai asked the group, effectively changing the subject.

“I don’t think that’s true. There’s been no evidence to support it.” Yaku scoffed. He would deal with this mysterious person later, for now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

“I don’t see how they’re going to be able to claim any territory. We’re already fighting over land as it is.” Fukunaga agreed.

“Where did these rumors come from?” Kuroo questioned.

“I’ve heard whispers in the streets. Heard someone mention something about twins wreaking havoc.” Kai informed.

“Has Aoba Josiah said anything?” Kuroo prodded.

“Not yet, Sir.”

“Then for now, assume it’s just rumors. Keep an eye out, but if there’s no evidence- it’s just a rumor.” Kuroo ordered.

“You said twins. Could it be the Twin Foxes are on the move?” Fukunaga nudged Kai to regain his attention.

“I don’t think so, apparently they were both blond. There was no mention of their Family either.” Kai elaborated.

“Those two are hard to mistake. If it was them, we’d know.” Yaku argued. Murmurs of agreement rang out among the group. The Twin Foxes were certainly troublesome. If they really were roaming about, they’d make headlines.

“What else to report?” Kuroo asked after a brief silence.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Oikawa or Iwaizumi. Either one of them is dying, or they’ve gone to ground again.” Kai again informed.

“I suppose it has been a while since the last time those two went off the grid. If we’ve noticed, then they should be returning to the front lines soon.” Kuroo spoke up. Everyone knew that the leaders of Seijoh occasionally went and hid away somewhere, but no one knew where. For that matter, no one knew what they did either. Kuroo assumed they just took a break, his belief on that only strengthening during his tenure as boss. There was no concrete way of knowing though, seeing as it was one of Seijoh’s closest guarded secrets. He knew the only way of knowing would be to infiltrate Seijoh, but that was a scheme for another day.

“Johzenji and Nohebi have been awfully quiet, don’t you think?” Fukunaga pointed out.

“I saw Terushima running around a few days ago. I don’t know if he has a job, but they’re still active.” Yaku disagreed.

“Let that snake hide in his hole.” Kuroo muttered.

“Kuro.” Kenma broke his silence then. It was no secret that Kuroo had a strong dislike towards Nohebi. Dislike was the polite term for Kuroo’s emotion on the matter. It was the only thing that actually worried Kenma about Kuroo’s leadership abilities. He had faith in Kuroo just as his grandfather did, but he knew that one day Kuroo would be put in a delicate situation involving Nohebi. It would be crucial for Kuroo to put his feelings aside and do what needed to be done, but Kenma feared if he had the ability to do it. Kenma didn’t doubt Kuroo’s resolve to the Family, knew he would do whatever it took to protect them, but his personal feeling towards Nohebi could blind him.

“I know. If there’s nothing else, then we’re done here.” Kuroo stated. Glances were thrown and heads were shaken before everyone gave a parting and stood to leave. All of the members present gave a small bow to Kenma on their way.

The people in this room were the only people who knew of the real chain of command inside of Nekoma. Kenma trusted each of these men enough to tell them the secret, knowing all of them would give anything for the sake of the Family. Kenma, Nekomata, and Kuroo had all agreed on these high ranking members to know the truth.

Kenma eyed Kuroo when he moved over to look out of the nearby window. So far, he was doing extremely well. Kenma was impressed with his old friends adaptability and how easily he fell into this role, but he knew it was taking its toll.

“Oikawa and Iwaizumi have it figured out.” Kenma said as he stood up as well.

“What do you mean?” Kuroo muttered, struggling to keep his mind in the present.

“Going off to hide somewhere. Someplace only their higher ups know about, I’m sure. It’s probably how they stay sane with all of the information they filter through on the daily.” Kuroo hummed an acknowledgment at his words, but otherwise made no signs of life.

Kenma knew he was losing the other man to his mind, “There’s no shame in taking a break, Kuro, especially when nothing is happening.” Kenma finished. It was a lesson he himself had to learn a long time ago. He figured Kuroo would act just like he, himself, used to when he first started getting involved in the leadership of Nekoma. Kenma started to make his way out of the room then. Kuroo had something on his mind so he wouldn’t bother pressing his point. He would prove it to him later when Kuroo was in a state to listen.

* * *

Hanamaki was: not happy. That was the only word for it. It was just supposed to be a simple run. All he needed to do was go from HQ over to Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s private flat for a report. No one told him he was going to walk right into a shootout. Hanamaki felt like kicking himself for not noticing the signs in time. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like the opposing parties had noticed him, but he didn’t dare stick his head out to test his theory.

Hanamaki whipped his head around trying to figure out what was going on while remaining safely crouched behind a concrete barrier. The flash of yellow in front of him told him that Johzenji was involved, but he couldn’t see the other members. He ducked back down when a stray shot got a little too close for comfort. He attempted to calm his heartbeat and listen instead. With all of the gunshots and random yelling, it was nearly impossible, but he forced his body to do as he commanded. He couldn’t hear Terushima’s voice, and due to the location, Hanamaki considered it safe to assume it was just a little squabble between families. Stuff like this happened all the time.

Hanamaki knew the cops would be arriving soon, so he redoubled his efforts to find a relatively safe way out of this situation. He looked around again, looking for an exit, but also trying to find the other team. A flash of black, and a spray of bullets was his only indication of a team other than Johzenji. When sirens started to sound in the distance, there was a small loll in the firing. Taking his opportunity, Hanamaki dashed through the alleyway behind him, tearing across the ground to head towards his original destination.

He was panting heavily by the time he reached the building, clumsily grabbing the door handle and ripping it open to start the long trek upstairs. The ridiculous number of flights only helping to further ruin his day. “Not happy” was now a serious understatement in Hanamaki’s mind. When he finally reached the top he was sweaty, pissed, and completely done with today. He marched up to the door, and straightened as much as he could before knocking.

“Makki-chan!” Oikawa wretch the door open and shouted in his face, engulfing the other man in his arms. Hanamaki attempted to say something, but it was lost somewhere in Oikawa’s chest. He pushed against the other man, fighting for release. When that proved to be impossible, he resigned to his fate. Relaxing enough for Oikawa to continue to hug him until he eventually relented with a pout.

“You worried Matsukawa.” Iwaizumi informed him as they made their way fully inside.

“He called shortly before you arrived.” Oikawa filled in the rest.

“Is he okay? What happened?” Hanamaki questioned, concern written all over his face. Why would he call them if he knew that Hanamaki was already on his way over?

“Nothing happened. He was calling to add on one thing to the report you were supposed to have already given us. We told him we hadn’t seen you and he started to freak out.” Iwaizumi helpfully stated.

“I just started receiving reports of a shootout, which didn’t help matters. I was just about to send Iwa-chan after you.” Oikawa said, still pouting at him.

“Sorry to worry you, Oikawa-dono.” Hanamaki finally noticed that while Oikawa remained in lounge gear, Iwaizumi was dawned in his field attire. He really was about to go out and hunt him down. “What was the reason behind the shootout anyways?”

“Apparently someone thought it would be a good idea to steal product from Johzenji.”

“I didn’t see the other team.” Hanamaki said in response to Oikawa’s raised eyebrow after his words.

“Damn. I haven’t gotten a clear report yet. We think it might be a rogue team that got reckless and attacked on their own, but we aren’t sure yet.”

“You don’t have all the information, Oikawa-dono?” Hanamaki teased.

“Don’t give me that! This just happened a few minutes ago, and I’m still getting contradicting reports!” Oikawa snapped back.

“Give us time, and we’ll sort it out.” Iwaizumi glared at both of them to keep the teasing from turning into tempers.

“Of course, Sir. Ready for my report?”

“What? Oh yeah, what happened with the Cat and the Owl?” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes at Oikawa’s temporary forgetfulness. The shootout was troubling news, but it wasn’t anything new. They saw something like this almost daily. Right now, their attention needed to be on the other families. An alliance between Nekoma and Fukurodani could mean trouble for Seijoh one day. They needed to know what they planned to do so they could prepare for the future.

Iwaizumi furrowed his brow. With Nohebi wanting information on Nekoma, it more than likely meant they were planning an attack on them. If they did attack, they could potentially drag Seijoh down with them. Seijoh wasn’t exactly aligned with Nekoma, but they stayed out of each other’s way. The last thing they wanted was a war with Nekoma. They didn’t want a war with Nohebi either, but it would be the better of the two options. Just like the rest of the families, Aoba Josiah was no stranger to war, but that didn’t mean they exceled at it. Iwaizumi wasn’t kidding when he warned Oikawa of splitting with Nohebi when they started to move seriously. A war with Nekoma would be devastating to both sides. A war with Nekoma and Fukurodani? Iwaizumi feared they wouldn’t survive. If Nohebi had a death wish, then so be it. Let them have their war, but leave Seijoh out of it. If Nohebi had a master plan, and they actually succeeded, then congratulations. Seijoh could provide information, but not men. They had no intentions of fighting a war. Never again.

“Iwa-chan? You still with us?” Oikawa’s voice cut through his thoughts to drag him back into the present. Iwaizumi shook his head subtly to clear it and blinked at Oikawa. He realized that Hanamaki had finished his report. To his credit, he had he listened with half an ear to the report and knew what was said.

“Of course.” Iwaizumi reassured the two others. Oikawa, however, didn’t look convinced. He knew he would never get his Iwa-chan to talk though. It wasn’t in his nature to talk about something that worried him to someone. It took a long while for Iwaizumi to freely voice his concerns in front of Oikawa, but there was no way he would voice them with a subordinate present.

“Alright. Makki, anything else?” Oikawa said instead, tearing his eyes away from Iwaizumi.

“No, Sir.” Hanamaki said in a militaristic voice.

“Then you’re dismissed.” Oikawa waved a hand in front of his face.

“Very well, Oikawa-dono. Iwaizumi-san.” Hanamaki gave a small bow before retreating out of the door he had entered, closing it behind him.

“Now, tell me, what’s on your mind, Hajime.” Oikawa firmly stated. That wasn’t a question or a request. Iwaizumi could never deny him though, and launched into a rant of the thoughts haunting him earlier.

* * *

Kuroo’s unseeing eyes stared out of the window. The small part of his brain still paying attention informed him Kenma had left, allowing his mind to fully drift off. Kuroo was pleased with his new alliance, he really was, but something was bothering him. At first, he had tried to tell himself he was just being paranoid, but now he wasn’t so sure. The problem he had was the lack of information. The easiest fix would be to go to Aoba Josiah for information, but if they knew this, it would greatly damage the family. If Seijoh was tasked by Nekoma to snoop on Fukurodani right after forming an alliance, it would give Seijoh a dangerous piece of information. No, there had to be another way.

Kuroo raked his brain for anything. Anything! After a heaping helping of absolutely nothing, Kuroo ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more. There was a way. He knew there was. He just had to find it. Think! Think! Think! How could you spy on someone when you can’t use the greatest spy network there was?

 _The old fashion way,_ his brain informed him. Old fashion? He cocked an eyebrow at himself then. Sometimes he didn’t even know what the hell he was on about.

 _Focus._ His inner Kenma reprimanded him. What was the best way to gain information if you couldn’t ask it directly, and you couldn’t involve a third party? Simple. Don’t involve the third party. The only reason they couldn’t use Seijoh was because it would give them a piece of information they couldn’t be trusted with. But, what if you could trust the person? Someone who you knew was aligned with you, and shared the same opinion?

 _There’s only one option._ Kuroo’s mind insisted. The only way to get information without using words to ask for it, was to observe it with one’s own eyes. Kuroo hummed to himself. His course of action was now clearly laid out in front of him.

_A double agent. Someone from Nekoma needs to infiltrate Fukurodani._

That was it. That was how he could get information without risking the distrust being revealed. Now, he just had to find the right person. It had to be someone who could take the mental and physical strain of being a double agent without letting the facade crack. Someone who could be trusted with such a high priority mission. After all, this distrust couldn’t be common knowledge among Nekoma either. If Nekoma members started showing little signs of unease, it wouldn’t take long before everyone noticed. It also needed to be someone with the ability to wiggle in close to Bokuto without raising any alarms. If Bokuto became suspicious, then this whole endeavor would be pointless. Who from Nekoma could handle the extravagant personality of the opposing boss?

If it were physically possible for lightbulbs to appear in midair, then Kuroo would have a flashing neon sign above his head. He knew just the man. It made perfect sense when one thought about it. He was a high enough rank to be trusted with this. He was used to dealing with a wide variety of people and attitudes. And, best of all, seemed to be a good match for Bokuto in Kuroo’s mind.

“Would he be willing to do it?” Kuroo said aloud to himself. He had to choose to do it. If Kuroo forced him, it would be all too obvious. Kuroo didn’t see the man refusing, a job like this was right up his alley.

“I wonder what his reaction will be.” Kuroo snickered to himself. He was half tempted to call the man now, but he knew he was working tonight.

 _Rest Kuro._ His inner Kenma yelled at him again. This was a mission for tomorrow. He still needed to figure out a believable way to get him inside Fukurodani too. He’ll have to talk about that to the real Kenma tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reasons unknown, I couldn’t properly type the word “door” every. single. time. it’s seen in this story. So, from now on, the word “door” will be replaced with the phrase “the entrance made of wood with a handle.”
> 
> Chapter 8 is in progress. See you next time!  
> ~Kiera540


	8. Explosion!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to keep you guys waiting! I am very pleased to say that I passed my important test I had! Now I should have more free time to write. Thank you all for the support this story has received!

Terushima honestly couldn’t decide if he wanted to shoot them, or praise them for their resilience and creative plans. He continued to ponder his options as he marched into one of his main warehouses. This was getting ridiculous; he couldn’t move any product without someone trying to shoot at him. He hadn’t yet gotten confirmation on who raided this newest shipment, but he knew it just had to be them.

If this kept up, he was going to start operating in the red due to the amount of product being lost. One of the main things currently driving Terushima up the walls, was the amount of product being destroyed. He was pretty sure their plan was to commandeer the product, but it rarely worked out that way. “Creative plans” wasn’t always a compliment. They were creative, in the sense that despite the countermeasures Johzenji used, they always managed to find a way to ambush them. The not-so-pleasant-part was the fact that they couldn’t beat Johzenji. Their insane plans meant product being put at risk right at the beginning. Terushima had noticed a new trend with them though. They apparently decided to simply destroy all of the product if they couldn’t take it for themselves. It was quickly proving to be the most annoying part for the boss. This stuff wasn’t cheap, you know.

“Who raided us?” Terushima demanded as he stormed into the large docking room.

“Who do you think? It was those damn troublemakers again.” A man grumbled. Terushima recognized him as the main driver for the ambushed shipment.

“You’re sure it was them?”

“Of course, Terushima-dono. They’re not ones easily mistaken.”

“How much did we lose?”

“Not a lot this time. The cops were close by and came quickly. They got scared off before they could really make a move.”

“Good.” Terushima walked around to watch the back of the trucks as they were unloaded. Pleased to see the majority of his product, was in fact, there and undamaged. “What of the teams?” He questioned.

“Nothing major, Sir. A few minor scraps here and there. However, we got a good hit in.”

“Who?” The boss perked up then. He had to admit the easiest way to take care of his problem would be to just kill them. If they could injure them enough, it might stop the attacks. This just might be what they needed.

“I’m not sure. It was hard to tell in the commotion, but given their reaction, it was a solid hit to one of their team leaders.”

“Excellent. Who did it?”

“I did, Sir, but I’m not so sure it’s a good thing.” Terushima raised an eyebrow at him. This man was a team leader, but he wasn’t anything special. He’d been a member of the Family for years- he was no stranger to the business. If something was bothering him, it would be worth hearing.

“What’s eatin’ ya?”

“I’ve fought with these guys before. The two team leaders are close knit. Together, they’re a force to be reckoned with; but separately, their dangerous, and reckless. They seem to feed off of each other. If one is hurt, I fear what the other will do out of revenge.”

“Bobata.” Terushima called out.

“Sir?” The mentioned man asked, appearing out of thin air. The two other members present jumped at his sudden arrival, but Terushima didn’t flinch. He knew his guard wouldn’t be far from him, even though he hadn’t seen him for the entire day.

“What do you think? I haven’t personally tangled with these guys much. Think we’re in danger of a revenge strike?”

“Depends on who was hit. I know their boss would never allow a revenge hit, but I think he’s been having trouble keeping them in line recently. One is definitely more likely than the other to lash out. However, he doesn’t have the firepower to be a threat.” Bobata informed. He wasn’t worried about a counterstrike, but it never hurt to be prepared.

“Alright. The cops are going to be out more too. Stop the shipments for the rest of the day, and delay tomorrows. That should give them enough time to cool off and let their leader chew them out. Now that one of them has been hurt, they’re boss will solve our problem for us.” The driver nodded his head at his words and ran off to deliver his orders.

“Here’s the list, Terushima-dono.” One of the unloaders handed him a clipboard. The two remaining men drew closer to glance at the sheet in Terushima’s hand. They hadn’t lost a lot, that was true, but they still lost product.

“I’m going to have to shuffle some shipments around to make up for this.” Terushima complained.

“My team is still good to go.” The team leader urged.

“We’ve got that deadline to meet. If we put out some decoys, and beef up the security on this one, we can meet it.” Bobata helped.

“We’ll have to be careful how we do it. If we beef it up too much it’ll be obvious that the others are decoys. We’ll travel a different route, and stay farther in our own territory all the way to the border.” Terushima walked over to table a few feet away. Placing the list down next to the large map. The other two men crowded around him to continue the planning.

“If we go along this route, it’ll put us closer to Seijoh and he’ll be less likely to go for a revenge strike. By the time he has breathing room from Aoba, the product will already be out of our hands.” Terushima finished.

“It’ll put us closer to the main cops routes.” The team leader said to his right.

“I’d rather deal with the cops than risk this shipment getting destroyed.” Terushima finished.

“What if we went along this way, and moved closer to Date?” Bobata questioned from his left.

“It’d take too long. I don’t want to risk it being out in the open that much. Besides, I don’t think Date would take kindly to us parading around their border.” The boss waved his hand at the plan. Bobata shrugged his shoulders and watched the people scurry around the room. The other two men continued their bickering, but he droned them out. Either way, they’d be deep enough in their own territory to be safe from the troublesome team.

It was almost inspiring how quickly they got so bold as to attack every shipment they saw from Johzenji. The majority of their products made it to their destination, but they were certainly getting more attention than they used to. They needed to properly deal with this problem soon, but this injury would at least buy them some time. If they were lucky, their boss would take this opportunity to lock down on his rogue team, but the two team leaders didn’t seem like the type to listen.

Bobata grunted when the sun shone directly into his eye. Feeling personally betrayed, he turned to glare at the sun. He was surprised however, to see that the sun hadn’t yet set low enough to peek under the open warehouse doors. Where was the light coming from? Nothing on the floor was reflective, but there was definitely something shining in his eye. He dragged his eyes upwards towards the ceiling and had to squint as the light increased. It was hard to see through his mostly shut eyes, but up on the supporting beams, seemed to be a small silver circle that was causing his discomfort. Bobata’s face paled when the realization of what the light source was slammed into him like a truck.

“Get down!” Bobata yelled loud enough to have it echo throughout the entire warehouse. He reached across the table to push Terushima to the floor before the other man even had time to register his words. A gunshot rang through the room and pain erupted in his bicep as he toppled to the floor with his boss under him.

“Kazuma!” Terushima called in his ear. The team leader on the boss’s other side flipped the table up and positioned it to give them cover.

“Sniper!” He shouted from behind it.

“I’m good.” Bobata groaned, rolling off of Terushima.

“It’s him!” The other man confirmed, peeking around the table.

“That kid’s got a damn death wish!” Terushima pulled his gun out from some hidden pocket in his clothes. “So be it.”

Terushima popped his head over the table and took aim. His target had ducked behind a large beam to give him minimal coverage from the rest of the Johzenji guns trained on him. Terushima had a convenient angle though. He could hit him, he knew he could. Before he had time to pull the trigger, his target pulled a small square out of his pocket. No one had any time to react as he immediately pressed the single red button in the middle of the black cube.

The heat of the explosion hit Terushima long before the sound pierced through his ears and rattled around inside his head. He was suddenly extremely grateful they had the mind to open the warehouse doors, as the table in front of him splintered, and him and his two other companions were thrown out. His gun was ripped from his grasp and went flying somewhere far away from him. He felt holes burn into his clothes and wood tear lines across his skin. The blast was strong enough to flip him over onto his stomach when his shoulder blades collided with the concrete outside the warehouse.

Terushima laid flat on the ground completely stunned for a moment. His ears rang and his head pounded as he tried to find his bearings. Considering the fact that it was an explosion, it wasn’t as bad as he expected. An actual bomb would have reduced the warehouse to ash and instantly killed them all. Seeing as he was still alive, Terushima assumed it was a small mine stashed somewhere.

Terushima felt a pressure on his back as Bobata used his own body to shield his boss. The team leader had knelt down next to the two of them, swinging his head around to find the sniper.

“Not enough firepower, eh?!” Terushima yelled angerly, confirming he was still alive.

“Okay so I might’ve been wrong there!” Bobata shouted above him.

“Sir! Are you okay?” His men had slowly started recovering, and flocked to him to form a protective circle.

“Where’s the shooter?!” Terushima pushed against Bobata and shimmied out from under him.

“Find the kid!” He barked out. It was one thing to go after his product, it was another thing to try and assassinate him in his own warehouse.

“Terushima-dono, let’s get you out of here.” The team leader shoved him forward and away from the warehouse. “Come on!” He yelled, not taking no for an answer. He grabbed Bobata to ensure the injured man followed. A few other members flanked them, escorting their boss to a secure area. The rest of the members ran back into the warehouse to look for the shooter, and salvage anything they could inside.

* * *

“I’m going back out there.”

“Stay! We’re supposed to have two more days.” Oikawa pouted at him.

“We don’t have the time. Shit’s going down.” Iwaizumi sighed out.

“Just wait until the morning, it’s almost nightfall as it is.”

“I’m already dressed, and they need one of us. I’ll go now, you enjoy one more night. Take your time in the morning and then come join us.”

“Could I convince you to stay?” Oikawa smirked, while his voice dropped low to tease him.

“Absolutely not!” Iwaizumi stated with finality, and spun around to avoid looking at him.

“Are you sure about that?” Oikawa whispered in his ear, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Spoiled brat.” Iwaizumi grumbled, but didn’t fight him. He knew it would be pointless anyways. He wanted to stay, and Oikawa could read him like a book. He was determined to leave tonight, but a few minutes wouldn’t affect anything, right?

“Maybe, but you’re the one who spoils me.” Oikawa kissed his temple, and let his hands fall lower.

“No.” Iwaizumi insisted when his hands spread across his chest. Oikawa was kneeling on the bed, while Iwaizumi stood next to it. He had half a mind to take a step forward and let Oikawa fall on his face, but he couldn’t get his body to move.

“Just one kiss.” Oikawa urged.

“You’re a minx, you know that?” Iwaizumi complained, carefully spinning around in his hold to face him.

“I’m okay with being your little minx.”

“Just stop talking.”

“Hmm, kinky.” Iwaizumi decided kissing him was the appropriate course of action. It would at least keep him from talking. Iwaizumi didn’t mind if he opened his mouth. He was even okay with noise coming from his mouth, but he had no interest in listening to him talk anymore. One kiss turned into two. Two quickly turned into three, with no indication of stopping anytime soon.

By the time Iwaizumi managed to pull away from Oikawa, half of his shirt’s buttons were undone and his hair was thoroughly messed up. Oikawa tried to chase him, but Iwaizumi held him away. If he didn’t leave now, he would be stuck for the night.

“I have to go.” He said again.

“I know, but I don’t want you to.” Oikawa said, getting as close to him as he could.

“I know. I don’t want to, but we can’t leave them on their own.” Oikawa dropped his head down onto his shoulder and grumbled.

“Let me at least go check on them. If everything’s okay, then I’ll be back by the afternoon.”

“Fine.” Oikawa finally relented, untangling his arms.

“Rest. You need it.” Iwaizumi pushed him down to lie on the bed. He gave him one last kiss, before dragging his body away from him and out the door.

Iwaizumi marched down the stairs to the private garage, slipping into his car. One of his favorite parts of their shared flat, was the secret entrance and exit attached to the garage underneath their feet. He pressed a button next to his rearview mirror, and the wall of the garage started sliding open. The tires squealed as he floored the gas, tearing away from the building and speeding towards Seijoh’s HQ.

He reached over and pressed a few buttons on his console to call Matsukawa.

“Yes, Sir?” Matsukawa’s voice answered a few seconds later.

“I’m on my way.”

“Oh? Oikawa let you go early?” Matsukawa snickered at him.

“Hanamaki. Smack him.”

“What makes you think- OW! Takahiro!” Matsukawa yelped in the middle of his sentence.

“Wherever you are, Hanamaki isn’t far behind.” Iwaizumi countered.

“The same can be said about you and a certain someone.” Iwaizumi could hear Matsukawa’s eyebrows wiggle in his voice. Another smack sounded and a new voice spoke now.

“What about Oikawa-dono?” Hanamaki asked.

“He’s staying put.”

“Sounds good, Sir. We’ll see you soon.” A beep sounded, proving the end of their call. Iwaizumi was ready to return, but he hated that he had to leave Oikawa early. He just hoped the other man could stay out of trouble until they were reunited.

* * *

Bokuto could smell the smoke before he could see it. Somewhere deep inside of Johzenji’s territory, rose a large pillar of black smoke. He knew their HQ wasn’t hit since he was currently a few more steps away from it. There was too much smoke coming from one area for it to have been a random civilian fire. Someone had just hit Johzenji. If Bokuto had to take a guess, it was either a warehouse full of product, or a storage facility. Who would do it though? Johzenji steered cleared of wars between the families, and rarely got involved in any themselves. Who did they piss off enough to get blown up? His answers appeared to be closer than he thought when he rounded the final corner and saw Terushima being escorted to their HQ from the opposite direction.

“If you’re here to kill me, you can wait until tomorrow. I’m not in the fucking mood.” Terushima snapped at the other boss.

“I wasn’t planning on it.” Bokuto’s eyebrows blended into his hairline. Someone tried to assassinate Terushima?

“What do you want?” Terushima halted his path. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone, especially not a rival boss, but a phrase rang in his head, _“Word has it that he might be coming to you soon for a normal job.”_ was that snake actually right? How did he know Bokuto would come to him? He couldn’t risk turning him away, this could be his only opportunity to infiltrate Fukurodani.

“Just to talk to you. Got a minute?” Bokuto asked. He wanted to talk to the man soon, but he didn’t want anything to do with him if he was currently irrational.

“Come inside then. Bobata, get to the medics. The rest of you go, we’ll be fine.” Terushima ordered. Grumbles started up, but they knew better than to argue with their boss when he was like this. “Oh, he stays out here too. It’s just us.” Terushima pointed directly to the corner Kohona was still hidden behind. He had ducked around the wall before they had been spotted, so he had no idea how Terushima knew exactly where he was.

“Stay out here. Don’t try to break in.” Bokuto ordered low enough for only Kohona to hear.

“Yes, Sir. Just buzz if you need me.” Kohona answered just as quietly. He was pissed about being left outside once again, but he knew it would go better if he stayed away. Besides this way, it would allow him to keep an eye on the entrance points and make sure an ambush didn’t happen.

“Keep an eye out. I doubt they would attack him here, but see if you can’t overhear something. I’ll try to figure out what’s going on while I’m in there.”

“Understood, Bokuto-dono.” With that, Bokuto strode forward, lining up besides Terushima.

“Follow me.” He instructed. Bokuto followed him through a winding hallway, passing several other doors, before arriving at what appeared to be a solid wall at the end of the hallway.

“Do me a favor- don’t tell anyone about this.” Terushima slid his hand over a crack in the wall to his left, his fingers hooking onto something that Bokuto couldn’t see. With deft movements, Terushima manipulated whatever was hidden under his hand in a certain pattern and the wall in front of them creaked as it slipped backwards and revealed a door.

“I’ve got to get me one of these.” Bokuto gasped impressed when Terushima pushed the hidden door open and revealed a large, luxurious room.

“Right? It’s pretty cool.” The blond smirked, clearly expecting that reaction.

“What’s the point of this?” The Owl mocked him. It seemed extreme in his eyes.

“I don’t like having uninvited guests.”

“Speaking of which?” Bokuto prompted.

“Later. Pick a chair, I don’t give a shit which one. I want to change.” Bokuto took a moment to finally get a good look at the other boss. His hair was sticking up at all angles, and black smudges clinged to his face and body. His clothes were littered with burn holes. Thin cuts covered his body, with blood dripping out of the majority of them. In short- the man looked like shit. It was the polar opposite of how Kuroo looked for their meeting, and how Bokuto was currently dressed.

“You might want to get that one looked at, otherwise you’ll end up like me.” Bokuto gestured at his own scar-covered cheek. Terushima gave him a curious look and brought a hand up to feel his face. He hissed when he made contact with a large gash across his right cheek.

“That damn table.” He hissed again through gritted teeth. He had been too preoccupied to even notice the cut, but now that he had, it burned enough to make it impossible to forget about.

“Well if you didn’t insist on fighting tables, you wouldn’t be in this situation.” Bokuto quipped.

“Don’t make me shoot you.” Terushima pointed a finger threatening, leveling a glare at him. The table happened to be one of the main reasons he was still alive. It might have torn his body up, but it did help dull the blast.

“Try it.” Bokuto voice dropped threatening, and he let that statement sit heavy in the air. “With what weapon?” He finished, softening his voice slightly.

“You think I don’t have something around here?” Teru knew he was pushing his luck too far, but he couldn’t help himself. It was his nature to tease people. He needed time to get a feel for Bokuto if he was supposed to _“wiggle his way inside Fukurodani.”_ his brain reminded him.

“Not before I get to mine.” Bokuto lifted his suit jacket to reveal the pistol strapped there. Terushima had other weapons on him, and knew Bokuto did too, but he didn’t feel like using them at the moment.

“Fair point.” He said instead, letting the tension drop.

“Tell me, Fukurodani, what can I do for you?” He asked, ignoring his current state to drop onto the couch behind him.

“Feel like running a job?” Bokuto smirked at him. He already knew the other man’s answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s really starting to pick up now! I’m really excited for these next few chapters, so I’ll try to get them out as fast as I can! Chapter 9 is in progress.  
> See you next time! ~Kiera540


	9. Karasuno Lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, it’s picking up! Tomorrow, June 18th, is actually my 20th birthday! I’m so happy I finished this chapter in time so we can celebrate together! Now, please enjoy!

Kuroo had ditched his suit in favor of a lounge shirt and sweatpants when he went to bed last night, and he didn’t bother to change again this morning. He strode through the interconnecting hallways of the upper levels of the Cat’s Meow, making his way from his private chambers to Kenma’s hidden spot. Even when the change of command happened, Kenma remained where he always had. Kuroo appreciated the closeness of the other man. It would make it a lot easier to talk to him without raising suspicion. If people saw them constantly having meetings, then the best kept secret of Nekoma would no longer be a secret. If by some miracle they didn’t put two-and-two together, then people would start doubting Kuroo’s leadership abilities. It wasn’t that Kuroo couldn’t lead Nekoma by himself, he certainly had the capability to. However, when you added Kenma’s clever plans with Kuroo’s suave attitude and adaptability- they made the perfect boss. Even when Nekomata was the boss of Nekoma, he always kept Kenma close to have constant access to his brain. With this new leadership, they’ll lead Nekoma into a new era.

Kuroo arrived at the door leading to Kenma’s room. He knocked on the door and was, unsurprisingly, met with a refusal to enter.

“Kenma, it’s me.” He called through the door. A few clicks sounded and Kuroo took that as permission to enter. Slowly pushing the door open, he peeked inside the dimly lit room. Kenma, who had just unlocked the door for him, fell face first back onto his bed.

“Come on, Kenma. It’s late enough.” Kuroo said firmly, walking over to the blackout curtains covering the window. Kenma knew Kuroo well, and had pulled the covers on his bed over his face to block out the sun as Kuroo ripped the curtains open.

“Why’d I let you in?” Kenma grumbled underneath his blanket pile.

“I’d like to see you keep me out.” Kuroo teased, he had essentially blinded himself opening the curtains. He blinked a few times in an attempt to regain his vision. He decided to pull them closed slightly to allow light into the room, but enough to make them lose their blinding effect.

“Don’t make me get Yaku.” The still curled up man threatened.

“Please don’t.” Kuroo sighed while making a face. He really didn’t need Yakkun to kick his ass this early in the morning. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Family business?”

“Of course. I think I found a solution to our problem.” Kuroo dropped down onto the bed beside the other man. He had quickly discovered meeting with just Kenma was much more enjoyable than any other type of meeting. It was nice to not have to keep up a performance and just talk about the details.

“Which problem?” Kenma deadpanned. Kuroo threw him another look. Kenma knew exactly which problem he was talking about and they both knew it.

“You know the one.”

“What have you got?” Kenma gave in.

“I know who should infiltrate Fukurodani.”

“We never agreed we should go that route, Kuro.”

“You have a better idea? Please, I’m all ears!” Kuroo snapped.

“I know getting information on Fukurodani is important, but sending in a double agent is too risky.” Kenma said calmly, seeing the stress in the raven’s body.

“There’s no other way. Besides, I’m confident this person can pull it off.”

“Who?” Kuroo hesitated at his question. It was true, he had complete faith in this person, but he also knew what Kenma’s reaction would be. “Kuro, who is it?”

“Akaashi Keiji.” The smaller man bolted upright at his words, and Kuroo braced himself.

“No! Absolutely not! We can’t risk him. If anything were to happen to Keiji-”

“Kenma!” Kuroo yelled loud enough to bring his mind away from that train of thought.

“We need him, Kuro.” Kenma demanded.

“I know, that’s why I’m going to assign him to this mission. He’s the only one who has any hope of pulling it off.”

“You would risk Akaashi for information?” Kenma asked softly; disbelievingly. He couldn’t understand why Kuroo would even suggest Akaashi for this.

“I would for the sake of the Family.” Kuroo sat up as well. He knew this wouldn’t go well, and he was prepared for it. He’d gone through every person inside Nekoma. No one was better suited for this than Akaashi was, and they needed this information.

“Akaashi is family!” Kenma argued. He was practically yelling at this point. That’s not how all of this works. You don’t sacrifice family for family.

“No! Don’t you play that card!” Kuroo snapped out. “How many times has someone had to take a risky assignment?! Do you have any idea how many times I, or one of my friends, got fucked over by you higher ranks?! We never complained! We knew it was necessary, so we did our duty. Akaashi can do this. This is the least amount of risk.” Kuroo forced his mouth shut. If he kept going, he was going to say something he didn’t really mean. If that happened, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

“We never made those decisions lightly.” The pudding haired man said softly. He knew better than most what Kuroo’s record was. He knew exactly what he had been put through.

“I didn’t take this lightly. Kenma, if you know any other way, I need you to tell me.” The older man pleaded. The look on his face almost broke Kenma’s heart. It was obvious he had put more thought into this than Kenma had originally given him credit for. Now that he had a moment to calm down, he knew he was right. There really was no other way.

“Have you talked to him?”

“No. I wanted to talk to you first. I won’t force him, Kenma, you know that. It won’t even work that way.”

“What do you need from me?” He asked. He knew Kuroo would have just avoided this conversation altogether if he had already worked all of the details out. He wouldn’t have kept it from him, but he would have waited until it was irreversible.

“What’s the best way to get him inside?”

“He won’t like it.”

“I don’t think he’ll like any way. Once he’s inside it won’t be a problem, but I can’t find a good way to get him in. If they’re too suspicious right off the bat, this will never work.” The Cat chuckled at his own words.

“Basically, you need to give Akaashi as a ‘gift’ to Bokuto.”

“How the hell is that supposed to work?!”

“You told me before that Akaashi has caught Bokuto’s eye, right? Well, Akaashi is a beautiful performer, Bokuto is believed to be single, and you just formed an alliance.” Kenma trailed off.

“Oh he’s going to murder us.”

“No, he’s going to murder you. I’m not a part of this.” He got a third look for that one.

“Why would Bokuto believe we would just give Akaashi to him?”

“Normally he wouldn’t. With the new alliance and his attraction, it just might work. It also helps that Akaashi is a performer. If you word it right, he’ll believe it.”

“How the fuck do I word that?”

“That’s up to you and Akaashi. You’re the people persons.”

“Was that even proper grammar?”

“Kuro, I don’t care.” The said man started cackling. Kenma gave a small smile while Kuroo almost fell off the bed. He was happy to see some of the tension leave him as he laughed. It was good to see him this way again. It had been far too long.

“You going to talk to Akaashi with me?” He forced out after calming himself down.

“I can’t ask him to do that. I’m going back to bed.” Kenma grabbed his blankets and covered himself enough to block out any sun Kuroo could force on him.

“I guess I’ll call Akaashi.” The bed-head grumbled, making his way out of the others room.

“Change before you do!” The mound of blankets called out as he left. Clearly giving no indication of moving anytime soon.

* * *

“So that’s it?”

“That’s it.” Bokuto confirmed.

“Why not have one of your allies do it? Why come all the way to me?” Terushima questioned.

“Did you always ask so many questions?”

“I’m curious by nature.” Terushima smirked at him. There was no way he would ever accept a job without first pestering the shit out of the other. The more information he had, the better.

“In our business, curious people end up dead.” Bokuto tapped the side of his hidden pistol in warning. He wasn’t interested in answering any more questions.

“Noted.” The blond held up his hands in surrender. He knew where the line was, but he did greatly enjoy flirting with it. “So, you just need me to discreetly move some product for you every once in a while?”

“It’s that simple. In return, I’ll provide you some added security to help with your little problem.”

“You sure you have the men for it?”

“Fukurodani is the largest Family there is, we’ll be fine. Also, our mere presence will be enough to drive them away. They wouldn’t dare risk anything with us.”

“That’s a theory. An untested one at that.” Terushima countered.

“Tell me, how much product have they gotten from you?”

“From me? Not a lot. Certainly not enough to make up for the effort to steal it.”

“Now, tell me, how much product have they destroyed? How much have you lost?” The Owl leaned forward, he knew just where to strike.

“I’ll admit it’s increased. They’ve gotten much more destructive recently.” The younger boss scoffed.

“Willing to test that theory now? Or, if you’d like, we can renegotiate, and I’ll keep my men.” Bokuto’s tone was deceptive. It didn’t matter to him. He had enough men, and plenty of other things to offer instead. He knew Terushima would be a handful, but he had ways to keep him inline.

“No, we’ll keep the deal. Just uphold your end.” Terushima narrowed his eyes at the other boss. He knew Bokuto would be tough, but this seemed out of character. There was something else going on here. The fact that he even came to Johzenji in the first place was suspicious enough, add this on top, and something was definitely up. Why would he need to hide product? Why risk coming here, instead of moving it himself? There were way too many ‘whys’ for Terushima’s liking, but the possibility of stopping the raids was an offer he couldn’t refuse. He had a lot of important shipments coming up, so if he could get his hands on extra protections, he had to grab it. Bokuto obviously knew that. Why else would he offer up his men otherwise?

“Great. I’ll let you know when I need you.” Bokuto gave a teasing smile. He had won, and he knew it.

“Then a drink to celebrate.” Terushima grunted as he forced himself up. “One thing though- when you want a pickup, we’ll come to you.”

Bokuto thought about his condition. It wasn’t ideal, but it would be easier to have Johzenji come to them. It made it convenient to pick up the product and grab some men at the same time. It would also allow him to keep an extra eye on them.

He took a moment to really look at his surroundings, from the plush, black sofas they were sitting on to the deep red paint covering the walls. Splashes of yellow jumped at his eyes in the forms of pillows and blankets strewn across the secret room. Terushima had walked past a door that clearly led to a bedroom to gain access to the built-in bar. It was a nice setup, but he didn’t have any plans on coming back here anytime soon.

“Alright.” The older man said. The blond let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He needed to get close to Bokuto, and the only way was to take a direct path right to him. He forced his hands to stay steady as he reached for the needed glasses. The adrenaline and pain from the attack was starting to affect him. He wanted nothing more than to kick Bokuto out of here right now, but he needed to get the man to trust him. The alcohol would help calm his nerves enough to make it through the rest of their meeting.

“Hope you don’t mind it strong.” Terushima handed him a glass filled with rum and coke. After one sniff, Bokuto knew it was more rum than anything else. Terushima retreated back to the bar to take a shot of something, before grabbing his own glass and sitting down again. The sharp eyes of the Owl didn’t miss the grimace the blond made on his way down.

“How bad you get hit?” He questioned.

“I didn’t get hit directly. They got a warehouse though. Threw me out the damn building.”

“So it’s true. They’re getting bolder. They are planning a comeback.” He took a sip of his drink. It was concerning to have them be this extreme in their methods, he hadn’t originally pegged the Family for that.

“Not exactly. From what I know, it seems to be a rogue team. I don’t doubt they’re trying to come back, but this was a revenge strike. Even their raids haven’t been so rash.” Terushima prodded at his cheek again. It burned terribly, and served as an unwelcomed reminder of the day’s earlier events.

“Not like them to have rogues.” Terushima’s two-toned hair counterpart stated.

“Well they are rebuilding almost from scratch. Who knows what new players they have that we don’t know about yet.”

“It’s still the same boss though. A devastating attack and some new people doesn’t change that. It’s not his style to do this, but he’s not weak. He shouldn’t be having trouble reigning in a few rookies.” Bokuto observed.

“Unless he’s distracted.” Terushima muttered more to himself than anything else.

“By what? What else could he possibly be thinking about besides recovering and rebuilding?”

“I don’t know. He should crack down on them now though. We injured one of their team leaders. That should get his attention.”

“You’ll get his attention too.” Bokuto warned.

“Not likely as long as I don’t retaliate. He can’t afford a war with me.” Terushima’s voice came out low. Dangerous.

“Not planning on retaliating? Really?” Bokuto rose an eyebrow at him. That was unusual. Johzenji didn’t take kindly to assassination attempts.

“Like you said, I don’t want the attention right now. Everyone’s going to be watching us now because of this. I’ll let him think he’s safe.” There it was. Johzenji was known for using brutal methods when necessary. It wasn’t surprising for them to take this path.

“It’s your call.” The Owl lifted his glass to the man across from him before downing it in one go, “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving now. Don’t forget what I said about your face.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Terushima gently dropped his glass down onto the table, and led Bokuto back to the door he had entered from. He seemed to reach inside the wall, twisting and turning a few things, before removing his hand as the hidden door slipped open. A man was walking down the long hallway towards them. Bokuto’s hand rested on his hip. He didn’t appreciate the sudden arrival. Upon a closer look, he recognized the flower tattooed on the approaching man’s neck. It was the same team leader that had been with Terushima when he had first arrived.

“I’m escorting him out.” Terushima said firmly before the other man could speak. He had an idea as to why he was here, and he didn’t intend on letting his opposing boss know this. Bokuto didn’t need any more information than he’d already been able to squeeze out.

“Understood, Sir. Right this way.” The team leader said, taking the lead.

“Just let me know when you’re ready, Bokuto-san.” Terushima said as a parting, raising his hand to give a small wave. He had played nice, and it had better work. The two Johzenji members watched as Bokuto gave a small nod and started walking further away from their HQ.

“I have a report, Sir.” The team leader informed him. His hand came up to scratch at the tattoo at his neck. A habit Terushima had learned meant he was nervous about something. This wouldn’t be good news.

“Talk as we walk. I’m going to Doc.”

* * *

Kageyama panted as he rounded another corner. He had finally lost them. He knew they would be mad, but he didn’t expect them to chase him this far. He had ran almost all the way back to their HQ by the time they lost his trail.

He slowed his pace, desperately trying to regain his breath. His plan had gone off smoother than expected, but he was disappointed in the lack of destruction. Product could be replaced. He didn’t care about that. His main target had survived. That was something he greatly cared about. He shook his head, he didn’t have time to be pissed about this right now. He had to make his way back to Hinata. He had gone alone for this mission, but now it was time to regroup with his team.

His team. One of the many teams that created the Karasuno Family. He was a newer member, but due to his incredible skill set, he had been placed as a team leader. After running a few missions with just a few members, he teamed up with the newest member of the family for a job. He quickly realized there was something special about this small person. He wasn’t the smartest, he didn’t pick things up quickly, he couldn’t see things even if you waved them in front of his face; but, he had one exceptional talent. He was relentless. Always striving for what others called an unattainable goal. He ignored people who said he couldn’t do it; using their words as fuel to the fire in his soul. No one could make him quit. It didn’t matter what they said or did. He was truly, purely, relentless.

His name was Hinata Shoyo.

Hinata Shoyo, the small boy who seemed to take flight right before your eyes. Hinata Shoyo, the energetic boy who might stumble and fall down, but would never quit. The small boy who idolized a former legendary member of their family. The boy who no one knew before, but now was known by name. Hinata Shoyo, the boy who slipped between the cracks in even the sturdiest of walls. Even Kageyama’s own walls had helplessly fallen to him.

Hinata Shoyo, Kageyama’s partner, and the Orange Hope of Karasuno.

The Orange Hope. A play on the boy’s obnoxiously bright orange colored hair. It was an accurate name. Hope was what Karasuno needed, and hope is what he provided. He proved that Karasuno had not yet fallen.

Standing right beside him was Kageyama Tobio. The Kageyama Tobio. The talented boy who seemed to accomplish godly feats. The one who did the impossible. It didn’t matter what is was, the sharp eyes of Kageyama would catch even the smallest of details. The same Kageyama Tobio who didn’t play well with others, quickly became a strong leader. Maybe a little reckless at times, but powerful all the same. Inexperienced, perhaps, but always evolving. Molding his body into the perfect form to complete his mission, regardless of what it was. It might have taken a couple of missions, but he seamlessly synched with Hinata to create one of the most formidable teams of Karasuno.

He was, Kageyama Tobio, the Genius of Karasuno.

The Genius of Karasuno. A tribute to the young man’s intellect. Another accurate name for a much needed player. Karasuno needed a new approach to old methods, and Kageyama provided just that. He gave new life to the wilting Karasuno.

Karasuno. The once powerful family now only known as the Fallen Crows was clawing at the cliff their enemies had tried to shove them off. Before, they had been holding on. Now, with new additions to their small family, they started to climb higher and higher. They could see the top of the cliff once again, and they were determined to reach it. Karasuno might have been the Fallen Crows, but, even the most injured of crows could learn to fly again. Crows did not fear the fall from high places. They climbed as much as they could to give their wings the lift their souls craved. They soared when others laughed at them. They “Fly High” just as their family motto compelled them to. Crows didn’t fear the ground when they lived in the sky.

There was only one man who could provide the stability the stumbling Karasuno needed. That man was Sugawara Koshi.

Sugawara Koshi, the Silver Head of Karasuno. The equally beloved and feared boss of Karasuno gave stability and leadership to anyone who came to him. He was the reason Karasuno had survived. He had fought, and fought, and kept Karasuno hungry for more. They had only known defeat for a long time, but that never stopped the silver haired man. His name might have made him sound sickeningly sweet, but he has a very different side. A side very few saw. The side of him that would stop at nothing to protect his family and ensure their survival.

Sugawara Koshi, Boss of Karasuno.

Kageyama had spotted him, his guard only a step away as well, before he saw Hinata lying on a nearby bed. Their Hope had been injured. It was a terrible blow to the family that the Silver Head was just now finding out about.

“Kageyama, what did you do?” His boss demanded.

They were Karasuno- the Fallen Crows, fighting for survival, now facing another devastating blow due to a reckless mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally got to introduce another family! What did you guys think? I feel like my style changed when I started writing Karasuno. I didn’t mean for that to happen, but it did. I don’t know how exactly to feel about that lol.  
> Thank you for your continued support! Chapter 10 is coming up! See you next time!  
> ~Kiera540


	10. Akaashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I’m sorry for the delay for this chapter. I recently started college and didn’t have any time to write, especially since my class schedule kept changing. I’m settled now and should be able to write more. Thank you for your patience, please enjoy!

Contrary to popular belief, Akaashi was not a morning person. He used to be, but since working full time at the Cat’s Meow, that has now changed. Back in high school he had no problem getting up early. He preferred it even. If you got up early, you could start your day early, therefore; you could be done early. It was a nice deal, but working at a club meant he didn’t get home until the early hours of the morning.

He wasn’t very happy that Kuroo-dono had called him for a meeting before his shift started, but there was no way he’d refuse the man. He was curious as to why he was needed. He had interacted with Kuroo plenty of time, but he wasn’t close to him. In fact, he hadn’t had a real conversation with the man since he’d taken command. There was no telling what he wanted, but Akaashi knew it would have to be something interesting if Kuroo was randomly calling for him.

It was the beginning of the afternoon when Akaashi started getting ready. Early afternoon really meant morning for him since he worked into the early hours of the morning when any sane person would be long asleep. He double checked the clubs theme before diving into his wardrobe. Akaashi had two closets in his apartment. One for his normal clothes, and one for his club outfits. It was apparently “Sensual night” at the club; whatever the hell that meant. Akaashi didn’t appreciate the night titles. While they were straight forward and to the point, they were also vague and undefined. He couldn’t even begin to list the number of dancers who brought more than one outfit every night in the hopes of having at least a bit of coordination. Times like this made Akaashi grateful he was a solo act. He didn’t have to coordinate with random people, didn’t have to worry about someone else’s timing, or any other aspect of dealing with another human.

Akaashi eyed a suggestive dark green dress hanging in front of him. While it looked good on him, and would fit with the night, it didn’t scream “I’m having an important meeting with my boss” to him. His eyes continued to roam until they landed on a deep red dress. He reached out to play with the fabric, not surprised to find only a small amount. This was one of his shortest pieces, barely able to cover anything on his back or his butt. The front was more structured, which helped to play into the theme of the night. Deciding this was going to be his best option, he pulled on the dress, and a few other accessories out to lay everything on the bed.

He ignored his internal debate of which shoes to wear in favor of hopping in the shower. After ensuring he was clean, he started his simple preparation routine. After drying his hair, he put a few products in it, before allowing his natural curls to run free. He applied a light foundation to his face, carefully lined an eyeliner sharp enough to cut a man, and a highlighter to blind his enemies as his makeup for the night.

He marched back into his bedroom to start the unfortunate process of wearing clothes. Don’t get him wrong, he loved his outfits, but sometimes they were a lot of work. Tonight shouldn’t be too bad, but he’d definitely need someone to keep an eye on the straps on his back to ensure they laid properly. He started to gently slip into the dress, pulling the front up and securing the attached fabric collar around his neck, giving it an almost innocent look from the front. He turned around and groaned at the mess littered across his back. He twisted and turned, stretching his arms as far as he could to untangle the straps. He had to admit it looked sexy as hell the further along he got.

Calling it close enough, he moved onto his legs. He added some black straps to his thighs to show off the dress’s impressive shortness. He glared at his shoes once more. The deciding factor between knee high boots and stilettos was a quick check of the outside air temperature. He never had a problem inside the club, Kuroo did an excellent job with regulating the temperature to ensure the dancers and club goers alike were comfortable, but Akaashi had no intentions of stepping outside in the cold weather with his legs completely uncovered. He pulled the boots up and took a second to admire himself in his full length mirror. He rather liked the outfit. He was happy with this color choice. It only seemed proper to wear Nekoma’s colors when meeting Nekoma’s boss.

Akaashi grabbed a small perfume bottle, prepacked clutch, and a coat before opening his front door. He wasn’t shocked in the slightest to find someone waiting for him in the hallway.

“Ready to go, Akaashi-san?” Yamamoto asked with a smile. He was dressed in a simple black suit with a cat head on his lapel. The pin reminded Akaashi of his own and he passed his coat into Yamamoto’s outstretched hand. He darted back inside to grab his Nekoma ring. He was happy to wear the ring instead of trying to find a spot to place the pin on the variety of outfits he wore.

“Alright, let’s go.” He said as he locked his apartment door.

“You look beautiful, Akaashi-san.” Yamamoto commented while holding Akaashi’s jacket open for him.

Akaashi smirked at him, purring a “How sweet.” as he slipped into his coat and led the way out of his complex. It wasn’t a secret that just about every member of Nekoma was wrapped around Akaashi’s finger. They behaved themselves, for the most part, so Akaashi allowed them their comments and flashed smiles. He knew he was attractive, but he didn’t gloat or parade around. He maintained a perfect balance between flirty and professional with the other members he passed on the streets. If they wanted something more, they knew where to find him, and how much it would cost. He didn’t give special rates just because they were fellow family members.

Yamamoto got himself together enough to open the front door of the complex for Akaashi and point him in the direction of the awaiting car. Yamamoto slid in first, saving Akaashi from having to slide across the seats. In his outfit, that would have been a godly feat anyways.

“Kuroo-dono will be in the Upper Levels. I’ll walk you up.” Yamamoto informed him once the car started moving.

“Then let’s not keep him waiting.”

* * *

“Yo, Snake-face!”

Daishou hissed at the comment, but otherwise ignored it; choosing instead to continue on his current path.

“Ah, don’t be like that!”

Realizing he wouldn’t relent, Daishou abruptly spun around, placing him face to face with the other man. “What do you want?” He snarled.

“You should be happy to see me.” The other warned low and dangerous.

“I don’t deal with underlings. Send your boss, or fuck off.” He honestly didn’t care if he pissed him off, he wasn’t in the mood for this.

“Boss is busy; sent me instead. Don’t like it? Then get your own damn info.” Matsukawa snapped. This brat. He was used to people, especially bosses having an attitude with him, but Daishou didn’t have the pull for something like that. His bark was bigger than his bite. In Daishou’s case, his hiss was deadlier than his venom he supposed.

“You got something for me?” The sly man raised an eyebrow.

“That depends. You gonna behave for me?” The Seijoh member smirked, the Snake wasn’t the only one who knew how to throw it.

“Cut the crap.” The mentioned man deadpanned.

“To be fair, you started this.”

“‘Snake-face’?”

“What? It’s a cute nickname!” The tall man defended.

“Shut it!” Mattsun jumped when he found a hand pressed to his face that forcibly pushed him away. “Look, we got something. Stop flapping that mouth of yours for two seconds and we’ll tell you.”

“Who the hell are you?” Daishou narrowed his eyes, there was something different about this one.

“Doesn’t fucking matter. You want us to blab here, or we going somewhere?” Hanamaki pressed. This man was running off of three hours of sleep and an unholy amount of caffeine; he couldn’t be bothered to deal with a bratty boss and his childish partner.

“I know a place.” The Snake didn’t wait for any kind of acknowledgement before spinning back around and leading the way. Hanamaki nodded at his back and grabbed the pouting Mattsun by the shoulder to drag him along for the ride.

* * *

Despite their best efforts, Akaashi was still spotted as he was escorted inside. With winks and flirty promises of return, he pushed past the group to rejoin Yamamoto on the staircase. Yamamoto took one more glance back at the rest of his team now blocking off the stairs; deciding they were okay, he offered his arm to Akaashi. He doubted the man would need it, but he was wearing fairly impressive heals. The raven politely accepted the arm as he swayed his hips while he climbed, they couldn’t touch, but that certainly didn’t stop the lingering patrons from looking as he went.

“Akaashi-san, I can’t stay, but if you need anything, Yaku-san won’t be far. He’ll escort you backstage as well so you can prepare before you go on tonight.” Yamamoto explained as they rounded a corner and were met with a locked and guarded door. Upon seeing them, the door was swiftly opened to allow them to continue their trek.

“I suppose Yaku-san never is. Thank you, Yamamoto-kun.” He replied, slipping his arm out.

“Then this is where I leave you.” The mohawked man gave a small bow, followed quickly by a spin on his heel to go about his other business. Knowing that Akaashi was safe and knew his way around the Upper Levels, he didn’t bother to look back as he returned to the stairs to discreetly gather his men.

Akaashi adjusted his outfit now that he was alone, and continued on the long-memorized path. He had been a part of Nekoma for so long, he knew he would never forget these halls. He recalled the first time he had walked them; how lost he had been, having to be escorted everywhere he went. Now that he was such a well-known performer, he never had an escort far from him, otherwise he would be ran over in the mob that always formed whenever he was around. He enjoyed it, really, he did, but he also missed the quiet. He missed being able to walk freely- being able to go about his day without being recognized; he craved it. He loved performing with his whole heart, but sometimes he just wanted to curl up in a corner and read his book or watch a movie. His busy schedule did a fantastic job of keeping him far away from that dream. It was mesmerizing for him to be on stage as much as he was, but he wanted something more. Something that gave him that feeling he was searching so desperately for. He didn’t know what it was, couldn’t even begin to describe it either, but something inside him was screaming. It felt like he was right on the verge of discovering something, but was too far away still to reach out and grab it.

He sighed as he swung around another corner, this feeling was eating away at him and he didn’t know what to do about it. It wasn’t an emotion he had felt before. How was he supposed to deal with this? What even was this feeling? Why did he have it? He shook his head to try and rid himself of those thoughts. Right now, he needed to focus on Kuroo. The Family must need him for something, and that’s what was most important. He would do anything for his Family.

“Akaashi?” A voice called to him, a good thing too, because he almost walked right past the door he was supposed to go into.

“Hm? Oh, hello Yaku-kun, how are you?” He mumbled out, still trying to get his mind together.

“Good morning, Akaashi. I am well; are you ready?” Aware of the time, but also of Akaashi’s schedule, Yaku was confident in his greeting. He raised an eyebrow at Akaashi, but otherwise didn’t seem concerned by his slightly off and distracted behavior. He knew the raven must have a lot on his mind right now. A nod from said raven and his face returning to his normal simplest, elegant expression was all the confirmation he required. “Good, Kuroo-dono, is ready to see you.”

“Let’s not keep him waiting then.” Akaashi purred the phrase out once again. Here we go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally got to see more of Akaashi! Chapter 11 is on its way! Thank you so much for your support! I have written three other Haikyuu stories –  
> “Kiss it Better” – (IwaOi)  
> “Recharge” – (BokuAka)  
> “Echoes in the Darkness” – (BoKuroTeru)
> 
> So check those out if you’re interested. See you next time!  
> ~Kiera540


	11. A Game of Talent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience! I am a pilot and college student so I struggle to find time to write, but I do as often as I can. The support for this story has been amazing! Thank you again, it means so much to me! Enjoy!

Unease was growing in every step Daishou took. He didn’t like that these two decided to drop in for a surprise visit. How did they even know he would be out alone at this time? He knew Seijoh was going to keep a close eye on him, but if it was going to be like this, he would need to be a lot more careful in his other activities. It didn’t matter what they saw him do; he figured they already knew just about everything there was to know, but some coming things needed to be kept under wraps. If word got out about what he was planning, there was no chance in hell he’d ever be able to pull it off.

Daishou found it interesting that these two showed up. He figured if Oikawa or Iwaizumi didn’t relay the information themselves then they would just send a runner to get the job done. What was so important they’d send these two? They were ranked high in Seijoh, they wouldn’t do a task like this without a reason.

The Snake glanced behind him to see the two other men following nonchalantly behind him. He stole a glance up to see if any of the shadows moved. To his disappointment, they remained solidly in place. He groaned. Of course they did! It wouldn’t take long for his men to realize he missed his walking check in, but it didn’t seem like he had anyone currently deployed in this area. It irked him how clearly they knew his route and schedule. There was no way this was a coincidence. Just how long had they been watching him?! It fed the growing feeling of unease the longer he thought about it. He needed to figure out how much they knew, and how they knew it. One of the most concerning parts was the fact he had never seen any Seijoh members around. Where were they hiding?

An unpleasant thought popped in his head that almost made him freeze in his tracks. How _did_ they know? Did he have a mole? His upper ranks where the only ones who knew of certain things, and they were extremely close knit. It was unprobeable, but not impossible. It was a growing concern he would have to look into.

“You’re not leading us into some kind of trap are you Snaky-boy?” Mattsun leered loudly from behind him. If the following thunk were anything to go by, he assumed his partner had elbowed him into what he hoped would be silence.

Daishou ignored him and rounded another corner. In front of him stood an abandoned apartment complex that he promptly shoved the door open and led them into the nearest room.

“Nice place you got here.” Mattsun’s ribs were sore, but he just couldn’t help himself. He swiftly sidestepped Makki’s elbow and proceeded to make a beeline for the couch.

“You said you had information for me. Spill.” The Snake got right to it, lowering himself into the chair right across from the couch.

“I don’t recall ever saying the word ‘information’ to you.” Makki smirked as he took his seat on the couch.

“What is this?” Daishou hissed out. He was pissed. He had just let himself play right into their hands. Something wasn’t right and he was confused and alone. Not a situation he ever wanted to find himself in.

“I’ll ‘cut the crap’ like you said earlier. We’re here because we know about the secret meetings you’ve been having.” Mattsun said with a shit eating grin while leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees. He was looking forward to making this bratty boss squirm.

* * *

“So your genius plan is to put me in extreme danger, have a rival boss save me, give me to him as a reward, and somehow get close to him all while being a double agent and not getting myself killed while I feed information to you?” Akaashi raised an eyebrow.

“Basically, but it sounds better in my reassuring deep voice.” Kuroo snipped.

“I hate to tell you, but it isn’t socially acceptable to give away people and call them gifts.” Akaashi crossed his arms, he didn’t like what Kuroo-dono was implying.

“No, but Bokuto happens to be in need of a performer for a party he is throwing soon. I’m sure he would love to have someone with your reputation there.”

“How do you know of this? And what about after?”

“Doesn’t matter how I know. Little birdie told me if you will. As for afterwards, well I’m sure Bokuto would hate to part with his beloved performer who he grew attached to. Just like I’m sure the performer would love to remain close to the man who saved his life.” Kuroo finished pointly.

Akaashi turned away from him to look out of the large window in Kuroo’s office. Kuroo knew he needed time to wrap his head around this plan and left him be. Instead he wandered around to the small, but fully stocked, bar that was attached to his office. Finishing off his glass, Kuroo looked to his side to find Akaashi coming over. Knowing the man wasn’t a fan of what he was drinking, he switched to making martinis instead.

“I almost forgot you started here as a bartender.” Akaashi commented at his boss’s skill and speed.

“Technically I started as a bouncer, but they were shorthanded and I knew the basics. Right place at the right time and then I was here full time.” The Cat answered sliding a drink over.

“You seem to have a talent for being at the right place at the right time.” Akaashi spoke softly before taking a sip.

“I guess I’m a man of many talents then.” Kuroo leaned closer and smirked at him. Akaashi was one of the many who didn’t know about the chain of command, but he wasn’t surprised to find him suspicious. The man was much more than a pretty face and a killer act after all.

Akaashi wrapped one hand around Kuroo’s tie while swirling his drink with the other, “Is that so?” he whispered, looking Kuroo dead in the eyes.

“If you’re worried about not being able to get through to Bokuto, don’t be. You can make any man weak.” Kuroo matched Akaashi’s volume. He stole another look before slowly standing straight up.

Akaashi let his tie slip out of his hand and gave him an innocent look, “I have no idea what you could possibly mean, Kuroo-dono.”

Kuroo smirked at him and grabbed the other drink he made, “Oh I’m sure you don’t little one.”

The two men continued to give each other teasing looks while they finished off their drinks. They knew they were playing a dangerous game, but frankly neither cared enough to stop. To them, this was a fun game they could play. Two flirtatious people who rarely found a challenge in this aspect of their life could go all out against each other without worry of the end result. After their game they would return to their life as if nothing had happened and await the next round. It made life interesting that way.

“You know I love our little game, but I have to ask.” Akaashi spoke as he finished his drink and the atmosphere returned serious. The boss hummed to signal he was listening. “What does Kenma-san think of this plan?”

Kenma. Of course. To Akaashi, Kenma was just one of Nekoma’s strategists. Well maybe he was more than that to Akaashi, but he certainly didn’t know of Kenma’s family relations and actual position.

“He came around.” Kuroo offered. He knew that if he gave any indication that Kenma wasn’t onboard with this plan then Akaashi would walk out right now. He couldn’t outright lie and say Kenma loved it because no one would ever believe that, but he had to play his cards right. Fortunately, Kuroo was an excellent poker player.

“Then why is he not here?” Akaashi stared him down, he wouldn’t drop this without a fight.

Kuroo’s mind flashed back to when he had approached Kenma again about talking to Akaashi with him. How small he had looked at the end of their conversation.

“Kuro... I can’t... I can’t ask him to do this... anything but this.” He had said. Kuroo had to force his heart not to break at those words and vowed to never ask Kenma anything like this ever again. The man had looked too small, too broken.

“Busy. Got some things in the works and I need my top strategist on them.” Kuroo said instead to Akaashi. It wasn’t a lie, but he doubted Kenma was doing anything right now.

“Fine. Now, how do you plan on putting me in danger without killing me and be conveniently close to my knight in shining armor?” Akaashi moved on.

“Yaku and I have a plan for that. As for your knight, we know his routes, it will be easy to position you close.”

“Yaku-san is a part of this?”

“He will be. I’m running it by you first. This isn’t our first ride though.”

“How do you explain my presence in Bokuto-san’s route?”

“You’re a performer, you go where your services are required.”

Akaashi twirled his glass in his hands, this plan was surprisingly thought out. It did indicate Kenma was involved in this. He wouldn’t help if he didn’t approve and there was nothing that could be done to force his hand. Akaashi himself wasn’t thrilled, but he couldn’t get himself to walk out. Kuroo had made a point in the beginning of their meeting. He was the best option, and they needed this information. He thought of everything his family had done for him. He had to do this. He had to help his family any way he could.

“One condition.” Akaashi muttered without looking up.

“Name it and it’ll be done.” Kuroo was serious, he wasn’t risking Akaashi for nothing. If Akaashi thought adding something was necessary, then it was.

“I want a phrase. A code. Something I can relay if I need out.”

“Done. Anything in mind?”

“If everything is okay then ‘Blue Moon’ if I need out, ‘Black Sun.’ If you hear that, I need out immediately.”

“We’ll make it happen.” Kuroo recognized the names. They were titles of two of the performers routine, but they also held a more personal meaning. They were memories that Akaashi would never forget, making them perfect code words. He knew Kuroo understood the meaning behind the seemly random words, but that just meant he would instantly know what was going on. Since they were titles of his performances, they would also be easy for him to work into a conversation.

* * *

“Where are our two little troublemakers?”

“Running a job for me. Why are you here? You’re supposed to be off until tomorrow.” Iwaizumi scolded the man who had just dared to freely walking into his office. It was also his office, but that was beside the point.

“Being off isn’t much fun without someone to spend the time with.” Oikawa replied.

“Someone to annoy you mean.” Iwaizumi huffed.

“Hedgehog’s are awfully cute when they’re grumpy, aren’t they?” Iwaizumi would’ve thrown something at his taller counterpart if he had anything that wasn’t important on his desk. He cursed as his organization betrayed him and he was left without a suitable, non-pointy object to throw.

“I get any cuter and you’ll die.” He settled for instead.

“Yes I would, and I’m okay with that.” Oikawa faked swooned.

“This is the only time you will ever hear me say this, but keep talking so I can hurry up and kill you.” Iwaizumi grumbled.

“See? Adorable!” Oikawa giggled. They were back to work, but that didn’t mean he was going to waste the time he was supposed to have off.

“Where is the Dynamic Duo off to this time?” Oikawa changed the subject before Iwaizumi really did kill him.

“Off making someone squirm. Nothing too serious, just applying a little pressure.”

“You’ve been back for a day and you’re already like this? What was the point of the off time.”

“For you to pester me where I can’t escape and for me to ignore you and sleep for days straight.” The shorter man jeered. Oikawa covered his mouth as loud, boisterous laughs threatened to spill out of him. It was an accurate representation of their time. He couldn’t even begin to count the number of times Iwaizumi would fall asleep in the middle of their conversations. Not that Oikawa ever minded, he just curled up next to him and let the exhausted man finally rest. He would pick up right where they left off when he woke back up.

“Anything major happen while we were gone that I don’t know about?”

“Just that Mattsun has stolen a total of three of Makki’s sandwiches, two drinks, and one particularly good brownie. Makki got revenge by adding hot sauce to anything of Mattsun’s he could get his hands on.” Iwaizumi rattled off.

“What does that have to do with the Family’s ordeals?” Oikawa questioned.

“It doesn’t, but my time was wasted with it, so now I’m wasting yours. Just be lucky you didn’t have to put up with their theatrics to get that information.” Iwaizumi groaned at the memory. Oikawa snorted as he could only imagine how that went down. He grabbed his chair and pushed it over next to his Iwachan to see what was stealing his attention away.

“This again?” He prodded at Iwa’s arm to ensure he got his attention.

“Yes.” He confirmed. “It just doesn’t add up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have written a total of 3 other Haikyuu stories including – IwaOi, BoKuroTeru, and BokuAka, so check those out if you like my writing style. I also have a BoKuroo story in the works and it will be up soon. Chapter 12 is in progress and will be up as soon as possible.  
> ~Kiera540


	12. The Snake's Fangs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Happy New Year everyone! Once again, I’m sorry for the delay. I finalized my plot during this time so I should be able to get chapters out faster now! Enjoy!

“In case you forgot, meetings are a part of the job. Secret meetings? Well, that’s the norm around here boys.” Daishou leered at the two men in front of him. He was well aware of the fact that he was having secret meetings with a man that would immediately end his rocky alliance with Seijoh, but he wasn’t going to give up that information for free. He really didn’t care what Seijoh thought of him, but he still needed information from them before he could allow all ties to be cut.

“You know exactly what we’re talking about.” Hanamaki scolded him. They were ordered to give him a chance. No one in Seijoh who knew of their secret alliance was happy about it but keeping Nohebi close was an excellent way to keep an eye on them. These meeting Nohebi were having was not something Aoba Johsia would tolerate.

“If it’s such a grave offence, tell me why your boss isn’t here to chew me out. This little pity show isn’t appreciated.” The Snake snapped. He wouldn’t stand for these games. It was one thing to send people to threaten him to stay in line, but it was another to have them just toy with him. If they continued, they would learn why people feared the fangs of a snake.

“Then I’ll be blunt. If you keep meeting with Shiratorizawa, you will lose Aoba Johsia.” Matsukawa said seriously.

“Ah so that’s what this is about.” On the outside, Daishou appeared as he always had, but on the inside, he was swearing up a storm. He didn’t think he would be able to keep the meetings with Shiratorizawa a secret, but he was hoping he would last longer than this. He supposed it was a good thing he already had a backup in place. If he lost Seijoh, he would have to sacrifice his information on Nekoma, but with his alliance with Johzenji he could keep ahold of his information flow on Fukurodani. It would have to do.

“Do not act coy with us. Did you think Seijoh would stand by this offense?” Makki raised his voice. How could he still act like this? Did he not realize what was happening here?

“Let me guess? You’re here to make sure I’m aware of how grave of an offense this is?” Daishou hummed.

“Oh, so you’re not quite as dumb as you look.” Mattsun rose to his feet and cracked his knuckles.

“Before we begin, let me tell you a story. Do you know how snakes hunt? Some go solo, but the smartest of snakes lead their opponents into a false sense of security. An assurance of victory if you will. Except, right when they’re opponent goes for the killing blow, the snake will use the terrain to their advantage and even have fellow snakes emerge out of hiding places. They easily overpower their enemies, not because of the venom in their fangs, but because of their minds.” Daishou smirked when Mattsun and Makki’s eyes went wide. The trap had been sprung. Mattsun reached for his gun, but by the time he pulled it out, three men had sprung up behind him and wrapped their arms around him. Makki elbowed the man nearest him, but one step later arms shot around his legs and dragged him down to the ground.

“You boys paid too much attention to the fangs, and not enough to your surroundings.” Daishou laughed. He knew he would be at risk playing this game. He added extra security weeks ago; he was prepared for this. Now, it was his turn to inform them of their grave offense.

* * *

“Are you two out of your minds?!” Yaku yelled loud enough for the entire club to hear.

“I told you.” Akaashi whispered into Kuroo’s ear from his seated place beside him.

“Yaku, I told you, we’ve taken every precaution I just need this one thing from you.” Kuroo spoke, ignoring Akaashi’s taunts. At least he didn’t bet anything on how Yaku would react.

“You’re asking me to kill him!” Yaku lowered his volume slightly but was still yelling throughout the room.

“That’s not it at all!” Kuroo yelled back, “It’s risky I know, but Kenma, Akaashi, myself, we’ve all thought about this. This is the plan whether you help or not.”

“That just makes all three of you idiots! You might be willing to risk the life of a family member but I’m not. I don’t care whose plan it is, do it yourself!” Yaku couldn’t control his anger nor the words spilling out of his mouth. He knew this wouldn’t end well, but how could they think of this without consulting him? He was the head of security it was his job to protect all of them!

“Yaku.” Kuroo’s voice dropped dangerously low. Akaashi was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was leaning against the other man, but he didn’t dare move now. He recognized this tone. Normally he heard it in a different setting, but it still had the same effect. It was the first time Kuroo used this voice as a boss. Akaashi smirked, that’s right he was the boss, and some people needed to be reminded of that fact. Akaashi crossed his legs and leaned further back against him.

“Remember your place.” Kuroo growled out. He felt Akaashi press against him and angled his body slightly to ensure he would be a comfortable pillow. He recognized what Akaashi was telling him through that simple, almost unnoticeable action. He didn’t like to pull rank as the boss, but he wouldn’t stand for outright disrespect, plus, he was getting tired of explaining this plan.

“Do you have a contact or not?” Kuroo asked, he rose his voice an octave, but Akaashi could still feel it rumble from his chest.

“I do. I’ll contact them immediately. Excuse me.” Yaku gave a bow before slipping out. He knew he crossed the line and needed to get out of there. He still wasn’t happy about the plan, but he would rather this be done through him that someone else. At least he could make it as safe as possible.

“Well good morning Mr. Boss.” Akaashi purred after Yaku left the room.

“I didn’t scare you, did I?” Kuroo quipped, slowly coming back down to his usual attitude.

“Me? Never. Though I think you did scare poor Yaku-kun.” Akaashi giggled.

“He deserved that.”

“Hmmm maybe. I know you two fight, but you acted like a boss.”

“Is that judgment I hear?”

“Pride.” Akaashi smiled at him. “Everyone was a little nervous at Nekoma-sensei’s choice of successor, but that little show you of yours proved the doubters wrong. If only they could’ve seen it.” Akaashi sighed.

“I wasn’t that bad in my youth.” Kuroo argued.

“The Kuroo I used to know would’ve gotten in a fist fight then, not command respect with words.” Akaashi reminded him.

“What can I say, I’m the face of Nekoma now, I can’t keep getting bruises all over me like I used to.” Akaashi laughed at his words. Kuroo realized he would miss that laugh of his, but this was their only option. He vowed to check up on Akaashi regularly, no matter what it took while he was on this mission.

* * *

“I was wondering when you would show up.” Bobata joked as he saw Terushima walk in. “I was just about to send Doc out to hunt you down.”

“Where is he anyways?” Terushima asked after a quick glance around the room revealed the man in question was nowhere to be found.

“Out. He’ll be back in a minute.”

“And how’re you doing?” Terushima asked as he circled around to stand in front of the shirtless Bobata.

“Clean through the bicep. Doc said it’s nothing too serious, but it’s going to be a bitch to move my arm for the next month at least.” Bobata moved his arm slightly to show his boss he was okay.

“Stop it. We’ll get someone else to run my security in the time being. You recover, then you can go back to nagging me.” Terushima smacked the man’s other arm to force him to stop before he hurt himself more.

“Speaking of nagging…” Terushima groaned as he turned around to sit in a nearby chair, “What did Bokuto want?”

“What everyone else wants, for us to run a job for ‘em.” The boss gently lowered himself into the chair to avoid jostling his own injuries.

“What is it?”

“Don’t know. He just wants us on standby for later.”

“What about Nohebi?”

“What about ‘em? They just want us to keep our ears open for any interesting information and report it if we find anything. Maybe suggest a thing or two to Bokuto. It’s no big deal.” The blond shrugged.

“It’s dangerous to play both sides Teru.” Bobata warned.

“No need to tell me. This ain’t the first time I’ve done it.” That didn’t seem to appease Bobata, so he continued, “If it comes down to it, I’ll prioritize Bokuto over Daishou any day, but for now, they’re both none the wiser.”

“Fine but be careful.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“That shit line might work on Ichika, but it doesn’t work on me.” Terushima was about to retort, but Doc walked in right at that moment.

“Doc! Bobata is bulling me again.” He fake pouted.

“Nonsense, he’s just keeping you humble.” Doc commented.

“Exactly. Can’t have any of this boss stuff getting to your head.” Bobata joked high fiving the doctor.

“Trust me, Ichika doesn’t need help with that job.” Terushima muttered under his breath.

“You’re all good to go Bobata-kun, remember what I told you now.” Doc said sternly waving him away. “Let’s see what problems you have caused me now Terushima-kun.” Bobata’s loud laugher resounded throughout the small room as he exited, and Terushima shook his head for what he felt would be the first of many times that night.

“You should’ve come to see me right away.” The older man scolded the young boss.

“I had business to take care of.” Terushima used as an excuse as he allowed his head to be tilted so the man could get a better view of the cut on his face.

“This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve discussed business in front of me. Everyone knows that the family doctors are the real guardians of secrets when it comes to the families.”

“That may be, but it doesn’t exactly project strength.”

“Are you worried about your image with Bokuto-kun?” At Terushima’s surprised face, he elaborated, “Bobata told me you were injured, but that Bokuto-kun pulled you away.”

“How could I not be concerned? Fukurodani has always been a powerhouse, but with Bokuto leading, it’s even more so.”

“Hmmm all of you new bosses are so young these days, but what you can do is impressive.”

“Impressive is growing the stability of the Family, concerning is growing the territory and strength. It’s too ‘world domination’ for my tastes.”

“Is that what you fear with young Bokuto-kun?”

“I don’t know. I can’t get a read on the guy.”

“And that makes you weary of him.”

“Everyone has an angle, Doc and people look to me to find it. The other families are easy, but Fukurodani has never been readable to me.”

“Sometimes our only option is to let fate play things out. We won’t know what fate has in store for us otherwise.”

“You know I’m not religious Doc.”

“Fate isn’t religion, my boy, it is just how the world works.”

“How the world works is concrete, fate isn’t. I know this better than most.”

“That is true.” Doc conceded. There was no changing the young man’s mind on this anytime soon. “Now, stand up. Let’s get you cleaned up before Ichika sees you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone asks- The Ichika referenced is an OC of mine! She’ll pop up a few times throughout the story. She’s my only planned OC for this story at this time. I’m sorry this chapter was a little shorter than the others, but we needed some set up. Chapter 13 is actually mostly finished and should be up soon. See you next time!  
> ~Kiera540


	13. Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing to say except please enjoy!

“What’s wrong?”

“Hmm? Nothing.”

“Iwa-chan, I have known you for how long and you actually think you can hide things from me? Oikawa spoke in a singsong voice.

“They’re late.” Iwaizumi muttered.

“Who? The troublemakers?”

“Yes them. They should have been back by now, or at least checked in.”

“You know those two have no concept of time when they’re together.”

“I’m going to duct tape a clock to their foreheads if they keep this up.” Iwaizumi dragged his hands down his face, why did they always do this?!

“It’s those two, they’ll be okay.” Oikawa reassured him.

“I guess you’re right.” Iwaizumi muttered not entirely convinced, “Oh, I’ll go check that.” Iwaizumi gestured vaguely to the flashing light on a console in front of him. There were quite a few things they needed to catch up on now that they were back full time. Oikawa hummed his acknowledgment as he watched him leave the room.

“Kindaichi.” Oikawa called loud enough for the said man to hear through the door opposite the one Iwaizumi just exited from.

“Sir?” He answered as he opened the door only slightly intimidated. This is normally the post that Matsukawa or Hanamaki would be occupying, but with them out, he now filled the position. Kunimi peaked around him in an eerily similar way to how Mattsun and Makki would do.

“Take Yahaba. Find them.” Oikawa ordered. No other words were needed. Everyone knew who he was speaking of. Those two might be notorious for not watching the clock, but that didn’t mean they would just sit around and do nothing. They needed eyes on those two troublemakers immediately.

“Yes, Sir!” Kindaichi gave a small bow and backed out of the room. One look at Kunimi was all he needed before the two of them took off running through the halls to find their third member.

Oikawa signed to himself, he didn’t like that Iwaizumi decided not to tell him what “little errand” he had sent the two off on, but it couldn’t be helped now. He needed to make sure they were okay. Figuring out what they were up to could come later.

* * *

“Welcome back, Sir.” Sarukui greeted as he saw his boss approaching him.

“It’s good to be back!” Bokuto smiled at him, “You. Go see a medic.” He ordered to Kohona.

“I’m not going to leave you.” Kohona argued.

“I’m going inside, where I will stay.” He added at the shorter mans look, “I’ll be fine.” Kohona mumbled under his breath but knew he wouldn’t win this fight. Relenting, he sent a glare at his boss as he left to head towards the medic area.

“Do you need anything, Sir?” Sarukui asked him.

“No, but I need to speak to Yamiji. Where is he?”

“In his quarters, Sir.”

“Of course, he is.” Bokuto mumbled under his breath too soft for the other to hear. He nodded instead to show his understanding and made his way inside. He never liked these meetings. Normally it was just him getting yelled at about how much better the family could be, how he could be a better boss, and what he should be doing. He scoffed as he made his way through the hallways, why did he made Bokuto boss if he was just going to criticize him every chance he got? All he ever did was sit around on his ass all day and complain. Bokuto had half a mind to take up Kohona’s offer for a “mysterious accident” to happen but knew he couldn’t risk something like that. For better or for worse, Yamiji strengthened their image by still being around in the family and he had helped Bokuto secure his place as boss. He used to be so much better, but age did not seem kind to Yamiji’s mind as he now had extreme views that made it impossible to change his mind. He supposed it might be a good thing he didn’t do anything other than sit around all day with how he acted.

He quickly found his way to the dreaded door and was greeted with two guards. He waved them off, he didn’t need his own men hearing him get chewed out. After ensuring they left, he knocked on the door.

“Come in.” A deep voice called. “Ah Bokuto, how nice of you to visit.”

“Hello, Yamiji, how’re you doing today.” Bokuto greeted as politely as he could.

“Oh, my headache is just terrible, but then again it always is. And my knee is real bad today.” Bokuto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They had tried to help him, but there wasn’t anything seriously wrong with him. It was all mental. You couldn’t help someone who didn’t want to get better.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Can I get you anything?” Bokuto forced a smile.

“No, no. Tell me, how have your little excursions gone?”

“I forged an alliance with Nekoma.” Bokuto said, better to get it out in the beginning than say it later. _Oh, here it comes_ Bokuto thought as Yamiji’s face hardened.

“You what?! How could you betray the family like this, boy?!” Yamiji spit out.

“I have betrayed no one! This family needs alliances in order to survive. Not to mention, the extra money will help us greatly. I have strengthened this family!” Bokuto defended.

“Those Cats cannot be trusted; they will claw your eyes out as soon as they get the chance! How could you be so foolish?”

“Name one time they have ever given us a reason not to trust them! Nekomata always treated us well and his successor is no different.”

“Oh yes the successor! They are weak! You can use this opportunity. You could finally destroy Nekoma.” Yamiji giggled like a mad man.

“We have no intention of starting a war with Nekoma. It would be meaningless bloodshed.”

“What is with your sudden opposition to blood, boy? You’ve never had a problem with it before.” The scar on Bokuto’s face stung at his former boss’s words. He resisted the urge to hiss.

“That only happened because I was still under your thumb.” Bokuto muttered, “I will not start a war to appease your fantasy.”

“Bah! You will soon learn. Let them betray you, it will be your fault!” Yamiji waved his hand around. “What else have you done?”

“I secured a contract with Datekogyo.” The Owl braced himself for this one. Yamiji’s arm twitched like he was going to swing out and hit Bokuto, but realized he was too far away for that to happen.

“Now I see, you want to ruin this family.” Yamiji shook his head. Bokuto’s eyes prickled but he refused to let it show, he knew it would be bad, but he was never prepared for what the man would say. “What possessed you to do such a thing?”

“We need the money.” That was the only answer he would give.

“We have plenty! That is no reason.”

“That is a reason! You almost bankrupt us! I am doing all I can to fix that, and I have done so without revealing the precarious position we are in to others.” Bokuto growled.

“I made us stronger!”

“You made us larger! That is not the same! You gave us men and territory, but not a way to sustain it. You almost doomed us!”

“Do what you will! You are the boss now! I don’t know why you visit me if you just plan on yelling at me when I don’t deserve it.” Yamiji sputtered with large, fake sobs starting to run down his face.

“Because you—forget it.” Bokuto cut himself off. The man would never listen. He stood up and exited the room without another word.

Bokuto made it a few hallways away before he slipped into an empty room. He quietly closed the door before sliding his back down it. He knew this wasn’t really the words of his own mentor but the words of an old mans twisted mind. It didn’t make it any less painful though. This man had practically raised him, he took him in when he had no one else and then groomed him to be the man he is today. How could these words not affect him? He covered his eyes with his hand to hold off tears. He refused to cry anymore over this man. He was no longer his mentor, he reminded himself of that, but it did little to comfort him.

He took a few shaky breaths to calm himself down. He didn’t have time to hide in this room, he had other duties as a boss that he needed to attend to. He didn’t have the luxury of a mental breakdown, not anymore.

He took a deep breath and made sure his eyes were dry before creeping back out of the room. Regardless of what that old man said, he was the boss, and he would bring his family to new heights.

* * *

Iwaizumi was still worried about Makki and Mattsun as he made his way outside of the building, but he trusted those two to be okay. He dreaded the next conversation with Oikawa about it though. He needed to find a believable excuse about what kind of errand they were running for him. He couldn’t tell Oikawa about Shiratorizawa. The brunet had already been through so much suffering at their hands; he didn’t need old memories being dragged up. Iwaizumi had to calm himself as his own memories started to resurface. There was no evidence that Shiratorizawa was preparing to make a move against Seijoh, but everyone knew to deal with Shiratorizawa was to make an enemy of Seijoh. Nohebi was low on the list of people Iwaizumi tolerated, much less liked, so he didn’t care about losing them. He was surprised that they would try to work with them though. It wasn’t their style. He shook his head, he couldn’t think of that now, he had another interesting problem to deal with right now.

“Yaku.” He said as he opened the outside door that led to a secluded alleyway.

“Yo, Iwaizumi.” He greeted.

“It’s been a while.” Iwaizumi commented.

“It has been. Oikawa still driving you crazy?” He asked politely.

“He is, though I doubt you came here just to see who is getting into my pants. What do you need?” The raven said bluntly.

“Fair enough,” Yaku snickered, “I need a favor.”

“I figured as much. Name it.”

“I need you to attack a certain Nekoma convoy at a certain time and place.”

“Should I be worried about your loyalties?” Iwaizumi rose an eyebrow. He had gotten some strange requests from the blond cat before, but nothing like this.

“It’s Kuroo-dono’s orders.” Yaku informed him.

“Right.” That did nothing to help Iwa’s confusion, but at least now he knew it wasn’t a betrayal and there was some semblance of a plan behind it. “What exactly do you need from me?”

“Unidentifiable assailants attack the specified convoy; their target escapes conveniently into a third parties’ path. The assailants pursue, but back off when the third party retaliates. Everyone goes home and no one dies.”

“Well, that’s not risky at all.” Iwaizumi crossed his arms.

“Our men won’t engage; they’ll just be getting the target out of there. I’m sure plenty of cover can be arranged to be in the path of the pursuers so no harm will befall them.” Yaku finished.

“One condition.” Yaku gave him a suspicious look, “If you’re going to risk my men, you could at least tell me who the third part is.” Iwaizumi demanded.

“Fukurodani, specifically Bokuto.” Yaku sighed. He knew the raven would never agree if he didn’t give him this.

“Didn’t you Cats just make an alliance with them?” He asked confused.

“We did, that’s why you’re not to engage them, but back off instead.”

“Whatever. I’ll let Kuroo play his game. Let me know when and where and we’ll be there.” Iwaizumi found it strange, but he could spare the men and honestly, he was curious as to what would happen.

“We’ll have the scene ready before.” Yaku nodded his head before blending into the shadows of the alleyway to return to his own territory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 14 is in progress! I’m really excited for the next chapters so stayed tuned! Check out my profile for other Haikyuu stories. Thank you so much for the wonderful support! See you next time! ~Kiera540


	14. Captured

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just added an actual summary for this story (only took 13 chapters lol) so please take a second to read it and let me know what you think! I’m don’t think it’s perfect, but it captures the story much better than what I previously had. Enjoy!

“Ahhhh I’m not getting a read on Matsukawa’s signal!” Yahaba complained as the small machine fritzed out in his hand again.

“Do you still have Hanamaki-san’s?” Kindaichi asked nervously. Every single member of the Seijoh Family had trackers hidden somewhere on them. It sounded very convenient when it came time to locate them, but the tracers were extremely picky. More often than not, they couldn’t get a clear answer from the receiving machine.

“I have it. I’ll try and pick up Mattsun’s again. Come on, we’re not far.” The blond informed them. He wasn’t too concerned; he figured those two would be together. What concerned him was that neither of them has moved since he activated their trackers. Why would they just be sitting in an old, abandoned building? Were they hurt? Were they eating? Yahaba scoffed, nah, they’re probably just talking about something and lost track of time. It wouldn’t be the first time it has happened.

“Why were they in this area?” Kindaichi asked. It was unusual for a Seijoh member to be so far out. They had left their own Family’s territory and now ran through the section of No Man’s Land between their border and Nohebi’s.

“They were running an errand for Iwaizumi apparently. I don’t know anything after that.”

“Isn’t that Nohebi over there? You think they were doing something there?”

“Above my paygrade, kid. Yours too.” Yahaba reminded him. Oikawa and Iwaizumi never chastised the rookie members for asking questions, but it wasn’t exactly recommended in their line of work. When asking questions, it was better to ask them indirectly or at least not out in the middle of the street where certain ears could overhear them.

Kindaichi nodded his head and dropped the issue. He’d just have to wait and see if one of the higher-ups said anything. Kindaichi had only been a member of Seijoh for a few years. Unlike Iwaizumi, he hadn’t been born into Seijoh, but joined externally, meaning he was still at the bottom of the pack when it came to ranking. Oikawa seemed to like him, and Mattsun and Makki had taken him and Kunimi under their wings. He was grateful to be as involved and knowledgeable as he was at his rank, but that didn’t mean he would stop asking questions. How else would one learn something?

 _Wait, which one was Oikawa-san again?_ The thought popped into his head without any warning. It was said that only a member born into the Family could become boss, but there were rumors that Oikawa wasn’t born in the Family. _That can’t be true, wasn’t his grandfather a boss?_ He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. He didn’t know where the rumors came from, but no one seemed to care enough about them to do anything. Everyone was happy with Oikawa as the boss, but the higher the rank, the tighter lipped they were on his past. Kindaichi guessed that was just the way it was; it was nothing more than another way to protect the boss.

“-aichi? Kindaichi!” Yahaba yelled closer to his ear than he previously was, “Get your head out of your ass and pay attention!”

“Sorry, sorry!” He blushed bright red at having been caught distracted on a mission, but quickly shook it off as Yahaba had them stop running and waved Kunimi over.

“Alright, according to the tracker, they’re inside that building up ahead.” Yahaba pointed to a large, supposedly abandoned building. “We’ll sneak into the upper level, find them, and get them home.”

“Why the upper level? Wouldn’t it be easier to just walk in and grab them?” Kunimi’s voiced seeped annoyance at the thought of going to all that trouble.

“Standard precaution. Remember- we don’t know the situation. Do not assume things!” He scolded his juniors, “The nearest building has a balcony we can use to get onto the roof. From there, we’ll sneak into a window. Think of it this way, if there’s nothing going on, you can drop down and give them a heart attack as payback for all of this.” At the affirmation from the two, Yahaba ordered them running once again. He knew this probably wouldn’t be necessary, but he couldn’t shake this strange feeling sitting in his gut and tingling up his spine.

Getting into the neighboring building proved to be no challenge and they were quickly flying up the stairs. His plan worked as they burst through the final door and onto the balcony that was only a small jump onto the neighboring roof.

“Wait-” Yahaba tried to get out before Kindaichi took a deep breath and leapt over with barely a second thought.

“You idiot!” He whisper yelled, “This building is several decades old, we can’t guarantee it’ll hold our weight!” Yahaba took this opportunity to point at a large crack just a few feet to Kindaichi’s right. Kindaichi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and started checking the condition of the roof surrounding him. Yahaba rubbed his temples, he didn’t tell them that earlier, but he didn’t think anyone would be crazy enough to just jump off the balcony. Kindaichi gave a thumbs up and Kunimi took a few steps back. He spared a glance at Yahaba and waited for approval first.

“You’re officially my favorite. Go.” Yahaba said at the gesture. Kunimi jumped without another word and Yahaba followed a second later. Smacking Kindaichi on the head, he held a finger to his lips and slowly led them to a nearby window. With the building being so old, it made it easy to pry open the window and slip inside the landing on the upper level. Yahaba was just about to say something when a voice called out.

“Really boys, it doesn’t have to be like this.” All three Seijoh members froze. Who was that, and why were they in here? Yahaba put a hand on both of his juniors to get their attention. He put a hand to his lips again and pointed to the large supportive beams that stretched from the landing and throughout the building. They needed a better view.

Leading the way, Yahaba quietly climbed onto the beam and crept along in the direction of the voice. _He said “boys” that must mean there’s multiple people here. Did we interrupt a deal? No that’s not it. Hanamaki and Matsukawa have to be in here somewhere. Was this their mission?_ He looked around the railings again, there were no signs of anyone else. Where were those too? He took a few more steps and could finally see a group of people in the center of the room below him. Are they surrounding something?

 _N-no way!_ Yahaba’s mind screamed at him. It couldn’t be true; he was seeing things! The small gasp behind him proved him wrong however as his juniors caught up to him and could see the scene happening below them.

Hanamaki was only standing upright because of the men holding him up, his head hung low, and he seemed to be barely clinging to consciousness. Matsukawa practically had smoke coming from his ears and he gave a death glare to the man in front of him. His face was bloodied, and he was thrashing in the arms of the men struggling to hold him, but he couldn’t break out. And who was that? In front of them?

 _Damn it!_ Yahaba’s mind yelled again, _The boss of Nohebi captured them!_

* * *

“He needs to be taught a lesson!” They yelled at him.

“He thinks he’s so special that he can just do whatever he wants! That’s not how we operate!”

“He has betrayed the family!”

“He needs to be punished!”

“He has been.” Sugawara mumbled so quietly he was sure no one had heard him. He glanced at the two members who had caused him so many problems in a shockingly short amount of time.

“What?” Tanaka asked him.

“I said,” Sugawara raised his voice, catching the attention of the entire room, “Randomly yelling will get us nowhere.”

It wasn’t a direct threat, more of a general warning, but everyone in the room recognized it. They knew better than to piss off their boss. He didn’t get to his position because he was as sweet as he looked. Suga knew how to command a room and didn’t waste anytime getting them back on track.

“We can’t allow an offense like this to stand. He should be taught a lesson. If we lose order, we will fall!” An advisor angrily bellowed.

“That is my call to make.” Suga’s face showed a pleasant smile, but his eyes seeped the same venom that laced his words. _Be careful_ he was telling the advisor.

“They’ve been attacking Johzenji for weeks now. With this assassination attempt, they’re sure to retaliate.” Ennoshita pointed out.

“I wouldn’t put it past them, but I’m not convinced.”

“And why is that?” His advisor growled.

“Because he could crush us.” Sugawara said it bluntly. It was the pure, simple truth. “I don’t think he will though. Terushima was in good standing with us before the Fall, if we get our rogues in line, we can buy time. He doesn’t want a war.”

“How can you be so sure?” Ennoshita rose an eyebrow at him.

“Because I happen to know he has something he wants to protect.” Suga smirked deviously. “He won’t risk open war over a warehouse filled with product that he can replace.”

“Let’s hope you’re right. How do you plan on controlling them?” Ennoshita gestured to the two men outside the window.

“Oh, I don’t. They’ll control each other.”

“Explain.”

“It’s simple. Whatever action one does, the other will receive the punishment for it. They will force each other to behave. Give them the worst jobs and hours.” Sugawara orders.

“For how long?”

“Until they prove themselves to me.” Sugawara waved them away. He started to turn towards his own two troublemakers before a hand caught his arm.

“Got a moment?” Ennoshita asked, carefully keeping his voice low enough to ensure the leaving members couldn’t hear him.

“What?” The Silver Head demanded.

“That solves one problem, but what about the other?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific, we have a lot of problems here.” Sugawara knew exactly what the other man was talking about, but he had no intentions of making it easy for him.

“What are we going to do about that cop? He’s too nosy for his own good.” Ennoshita forced out.

“We don’t deal with cops.” The boss reminded him.

“What do you suggest then?”

“We’ll throw him off. Spin in him circles so much he’ll be begging for a different case. I’ll handle it myself.” Sugawara pulled his arm from the others grip and stalked away. Ennoshita sighed, it’ll have to do. He’ll keep an eye on it himself.

“Kageyama, Hinata.” Sugawara called chilling the two of them to the bone. “You two will take any assignment that comes your way.” They immediately understood what he meant and nodded their heads silently.

“Hinata your being discharged. If anything like this happens again, you deal with me.” The two in question audibly gulped at his words, compared to what he could do, they were getting off easy. They were aware of that fact as they watched their boss walk away. It would be more accurate to say that if this happened again, they wouldn’t be Sugawara’s problem anymore if the fire in his eyes were any indication of what he would do.

* * *

“Sir!” The man barged into the medical bay without thinking. At the glare he received from his boss, he started scratching at the flower tattoo at his neck. The familiar habit clued Terushima into who was standing in front of him.

“Akio, stop that!” Doc scolded him, walking up to smack his hand away from his neck.

“Hansuke-san, could you give us a minute?” Terushima asked, placing a hand on the doctor’s shoulder.

“Of course, don’t do anything stupid now that I’ve patched you up.” He waved an accusing finger in his face.

“Understood.” Terushima chuckled at him and sent him away with a wave. “What is it?” He asked the team leader.

“Another detail to add onto that report.” Terushima thought for a moment, then remembered the conversation they had as he had walked to the medical bay. He nodded his head for him to continue, “We can confirm that he made it back to Karasuno. They’re not taking up a defensive position, so I’d say it’s safe to say they’re not expecting us to attack.”

“Damn that Silver Head.” Terushima clicked his tongue, of course he’d expect that. “They talking to anyone?”

“Not that we can tell. Looks like they’re still flying solo.”

“I wouldn’t expect that to last forever.” Terushima muttered starting to make his way out of the room.

“One last thing!” Akio almost jumped out of his skin at the look his exhausted boss gave him, “Someone accessed the Hidden.” Terushima perked up at that comment.

“Thank you.” He said, turning around again. It didn’t matter if Akio tried to say anything else, nothing could stop him now. The “Hidden” was the room he had just been in with Bokuto; and there was only one other person alive who had access to that room. A soft smile pulled at Terushima’s lips as he walked briskly through the compound.

 _I’m on my way._ He mentally informed them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry that the last section was so short! Some people asked what my OC’s names meant so here they are! According to my (limited) knowledge of Japanese, “Ichika” means “one thousand flowers,” “Akio” is “bright man,” and “Hansuke” is “a very helpful friend” I thought that was fitting for a doctor lol.
> 
> The BoKuroo story I mentioned in Chapter 11 has also been posted under the name “Because It’s Us” if you want to check that out! Thank you so much for the amazing support, it really means so much to me! Chapter 15 is in progress and should be up soon. See you next time! ~Kiera540

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought! Chapter 2 is already completed and is up now. See you next time!  
> ~Kiera540


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